ORANGEBURG, SC (December 20, 2022) – The Claflin Lady Panthers (8-3, 2-1 CIAA) gave a great effort, but the team came up short in a 69-64 loss to the Virginia State Trojans (5-6, 2-1 CIAA). The Lady Panthers played a solid overall game, but the team struggled to hit shots against some tough Trojan defense in the loss.
As a team, the Lady Panthers found points hard to come by in the loss. The Lady Panthers were held to shooting 37.7% (23-of-61) from the floor. Claflin senior forward Janell Horton led the way for the Lady Panthers with 14 points and four rebounds in the game. She also added three assists and a pair of steals. Sophomore guard Lauren Scott added 12 points as well.
The game was a close one from the very beginning. The Lady Panthers never trailed by double digits after taking a 37-40 deficit into the locker room at halftime. The largest Claflin deficit came in the second quarter when the team trailed 26-34 with just under five minutes left in the second quarter. From there, the Lady Panthers were able to cut their deficit down to just three points, 37-40 at halftime. In the second half, the Lady Panthers came out with a better effort as the Lady Panthers built a 52-48 lead after a Scott three-pointer with 00:22 left in the third quarter before taking a 52-50 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter was tough for the Lady Panthers. The team allowed Virginia State to go ahead 56-54 with just under seven minutes left to play. Unfortunately, the Lady Panthers were never able to get back in control of the game and took the 69-64 loss.
With the loss, the Lady Panthers fall to 8-3 overall and 2-1 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play. The team will break for the holidays before returning to action on January 5th when the team heads to Richmond, Virginia to take on the Virginia Union Panthers. For more information on Lady Panthers basketball, contact the Claflin University Office of Athletics Media Relations at (803) 535-5548 or log on to www.athletics.claflin.edu.