The Clark Atlanta Panthers’ defensive presence in the paint and hot shooting from deep were the keys to their 72-55 win over the Kentucky State Thorobreds.
This marks Clark Atlanta’s fifth straight victory, and the seventh in its last eight games, improving to 14-5 in conference play (17-6 overall).
Following Morehouse’s loss to Lane, Clark Atlanta has now entered a tie with the Maroon Tigers atop the SIAC’s Eastern Division.
Despite finishing with just five points on 2-of-8 shooting, Kharye Cayne made a lasting impact with his most dominant defensive performance of the season.
The former SIAC Defensive Player of the Year recorded a season-high 11 blocks and a season-high 16 rebounds (13 defensive rebounds).
Cayne’s rare rebounds/blocks double-double is his first of the season and the second of his career under these circumstances.
Peyton Weathersby paced the Panthers in scoring off the bench with 18 points, all four of his shots from the field coming from three-point range.
Chase Hill led the starters with 17 points on 67% shooting from the field, while Ny’Mire Little had 14 points, hitting four three-pointers.
Jeremiah Israel led the Thorobreds with a game-high 21 points off the bench, adding eight rebounds and three steals.
It only took Clark Atlanta 26 seconds to put the first points of the game on the board, foreshadowing what would be its best shooting performance of the season.
They got hot from three-point range early and never cooled off, hitting eight in the first half and a season-high 14 in the game.
Meanwhile, Kentucky State had its worst shooting performance of the season (26%), with its starters combining to shoot 6-of-31 from the field.
The Panthers never trailed in this contest, leading by as many as 31 points on their way to victory.
This was the third game in a four-game home stand for Clark Atlanta, claiming wins in each game by an average margin of 12 points.
They will conclude their home tilt this upcoming Wednesday when they welcome Fort Valley State.
