With 16:40 remaining in the second half Tuesday in the Edward Tullis Arena, Claflin put the basketball in Mounda Williams' hands.
Foul trouble for starter David Glover of Calhoun County forced the Panthers to utilize the junior point guard from Fayetteville State with Albany State still within striking distance. The biggest concern for head coach Ron Woodard was whether Williams had the stamina to handle the extra minutes.
Claflin maintained its lead with Williams, who finished with five assists, including two in the final five minutes after Glover fouled out, and pulled away from the Golden Rams 61-47.
"Mounda did a good job of stepping up," Woodard said. "I was a little bit worried about him getting fatigued out there and, of course, court awareness was what I was concerned about and being able to let the game come because he's had some decent games. But in crucial situations, he's been losing the ball. So this is a good game for him to gain confidence."
The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Panthers (3-6, 3-5), whose leading scorer Darren Bell finished with nine points. A key to victory was an overwhelming 43-20 rebounding advantage which included 17 offensive boards and a defense which limited the Golden Rams to 17-42 (40.5 percent) from the field and 3-15 (20 percent) from 3-point range.
The first half saw Albany State (2-3, 1-2) almost amass as many personal fouls (13) as points through the first 19 minutes. Despite Glover leaving the game with 2:39 left in the first half after picking up his third foul, the Panthers stretched their lead as many as 13 points.
Albany State scored five points in the final minute to close the gap to 28-20 at halftime. In the second half, Jaren Harris carried the Golden Rams' offense as he accounted for 10 of his game-high 13 points to bring his team within four points.
Claflin kept pace with timely baskets from Orangeburg-Wilkinson's Edward Green and Terrance Bowman with eight points each. Down the stretch, layups by Marcus Jeffries and Bell enabled Claflin to push their lead back to double digits and it converted 5-6 free throws to close the game.
"We've been our own worst enemy," Woodard said. "We've been our own worst enemy except for one game against Lemoye-Owen. Everybody else we've been our own worst enemy and it's just about us gaining confidence in the system. You see, the system isn't going to change. I'm going to run the system. The biggest key is about them understanding what we're going to do and staying focused."
The Panthers will now have a 15-day hiatus as part of an NCAA rule which prevents Division II teams from practicing and playing games from Dec. 20-26. They will return to action New Year's Eve at home against Lemonye-Owen.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Claflin (61)
Michael Henry 6, David Glover 5, Edward Green 8, Terrance Bowman 8, Alonzo Gaillard 2, Mounda Williams 4, Michael Chinn 6, Darren Bell 9, Marcus Jeffries 4, Barry Mullen 3, Booker Roary 3, Alexcion Void 3
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