ORANGEBURG, SC - The Claflin Lady Panthers (12-12, 5-10 CIAA) gave a great effort, but the team was outmatched in a 76-52 loss to the Fayetteville State Lady Broncos (17-6, 13-2 CIAA). The Lady Panthers had a hard time getting their offense going against the Lady Bronco defense in the loss.  
 
Points were hard to come by for the Lady Panthers. As a team, Claflin was held to shooting just 31.6% (18-of-57) from the floor and totaling just 52 points in the game. Sophomore guard Janelle Sample led the way for the Lady Panthers with 20 points off the bench. However, she was the only Claflin player to reach double-digit scoring in the game. Fellow sophomore Dior Shelton added a near double-double effort with seven points and eight rebounds in the game.  
 
The Lady Panthers got going with a solid start to the first half, but some second quarter struggles proved to be costly for the Lady Panthers. Though the Lady Panthers fell into an early deficit, a pair of back-to-back Sample three-pointers gave the team a 12-10 lead before the team allowed an FSU jumper in the final seconds to tie the game, 12-12, heading into the second quarter. The second quarter told a different story for the Lady Panthers as the team was outscored 23-13 to take a 35-25 deficit into the locker room at halftime.  
 
The Claflin struggles carried over into the second half, but the team gave a solid third quarter effort. The Lady Panthers got things going early after a lay-up from freshman forward Ashari Lewis gave the Lady Panthers a 20-14 lead with 6:54 left in the third quarter. In the remaining minutes of the quarter, the Lady Panthers managed to total just five points and ended the quarter trailing, 35-25. Things got away from the team in the fourth quarter as the Lady Panthers were outscored 23-15 in the fourth quarter to end the day with the 76-52 loss.  
 
With the loss, the Lady Panthers fall to 12-12 overall and 5-10 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play. The team will close out the regular season, Saturday, when they head to Charlotte, North Carolina to take on the Johnson C. Smith Lady Golden Bulls. 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.