Claflin hoops opens key four-game homestand Saturday

Orangeburg, S.C. — The Claflin University Panthers will return to the confines of Tullis Arena for four straight games, all against Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) East Division opponents.

The home slate begins Saturday (Jan. 27) against Fort Valley State University (FVSU) at approximately 3:30 p.m., following the women’s matchup.

Claflin will try to rebound from a tough road trip where the Panthers suffered back-to-back divisional loses to Morehouse College (86-75) and Clark Atlanta University 97-82. The defeats knocked Claflin from a first-place tie with Morehouse and Clark Atlanta into third place at 10-2 with seven conference games left.

Following the FVSU contest, Claflin will entertain Albany State University on Monday (Jan. 29) then Morehouse (Jan. 31) and Clark Atlanta (Feb. 5) to close out the homestand.

Claflin will bring its second best record since joining the NCAA Division II ranks at 17-3 into the clash against FVSU. The Wildcats are 10-11 overall and 7-6 in the league play.

“After coming off of two losses on the road and both division games, I think returning home and playing in front of our student body and fans is just what we need to get back on track and put us in a good place to challenge for the division title,” head coach Ricky Jackson said.

This will be the second meeting between Claflin and FVSU this season as the Panthers won a 65-53 decision. In that contest, Jaleel Charles scored 19 points and Benjamin “Tre” Williams added 18 in leading the Panthers to the road victory.

The duo are the only players averaging in double-figure for Claflin with Charles leading the way at 15.4 points followed by Williams with 13.3 points.

Charles also leads the team in rebounding at 8.5 a game, while Austin Lawton is the top shot-blocker with 38 on the season and 9.2 points.

Triston Thompson is next in scoring for the Panthers at 8.3 points to go with team-highs in assists at 62 and steals at 41.

Claflin is still the best defensive unit in the SIAC, allowing opponents 62.5 points, while averaging 75.2 points on offense, sixth best in the league.

FVSU is averaging 73.2 points per game as a team and is led in scoring by Tyler Edward at 14.9 points followed by Jaylon McMillan with 12.7 points.