Two days after a tough loss to Tuskegee, Ron Woodard had to send a message to his players ensuring that they would play within his scheme.

That message couldn’t have been any clearer for guard Anthony Pigram, who was taken out of the starting lineup for Thursday’s SIAC contest against Albany State. Despite losing his starting position, the former Mountain State guard dropped 20 points to lead the Panthers to a convincing 77-49 win.

The Panthers opened the first half on an 8-0 run powered by two 3-point jumpers by Eric Salley. Moments later, Claflin exploded for a 14-4 spurt to take a 22-9 lead.

“Basically, when I saw Coach (Ron Woodard) take A.J. out of the starting lineup,” Salley said, “I figured that that’s a big piece of our offense and a lot of points. So, we were going to have to produce early.”

Derek Jones found his shooting touch for Albany State (1-3), ending the Panthers’ scoring streak while starting one for the Rams in the form of a 7-2 run. Albany State continued to cut away at the Panthers lead with a 9-2 run that included two 3-pointers by Jamell Ellerbe, making a 30-27 game.

Claflin eventually regained momentum as Anthony Pigram scored five of Panthers’ last seven first-half points, giving Claflin a 37-28 halftime lead. Pigram finished the half with nine points.

“It was fun,” Pigram said of his time on the floor. “That’s the key. When you have fun, everything comes natural. I really wanted to show my coach that I wasn’t rattled at all by him bringing me off the bench.”

Claflin (6-3) didn’t let up after halftime as they opened the second half with a 10-2 run, making it a 47-30 lead with 16:04 to play.

“It was very important for us,” Woodard said of the scoring spurt. “We’ve played three games in six days and we were on the road. So, it’s about being mentally tough. I was hoping that fatigue didn’t set in on us. That’s why we had to use a few more bodies. I didn’t think we were capable of playing a full man-to-man defense tonight.”

The Panthers continued to pour it on as they knocked down 3-pointers throughout the second half. Led by Pigram, who scored nine of his 11 points from behind the arc, Claflin shot 46 percent in the final 20 minutes from outside.

“I thought our shot selection was great by being able to have good ball movement,” Woodard said. “One of the most important things was we executed when it was time on the offensive end. I made a commitment to them that we’re going to run my system. That’s just the bottom line. I‘m not getting away from it. We’re going to run the system and we’re going to do that by executing.”

Defensively, the Panthers were just as relentless, as they forced the Rams to commit 17 second-half turnovers and shoot a disappointing 30 percent from the field.

“Albany State is a really good team,” Woodard said. “They’ve got a senior-laden team coming back. I think it kinda shocked them a little bit that we went and played a matching zone versus playing our normal man-to-man. So, we played a lot more zone tonight because I knew we were a little bit fatigued.”

With the first part of the season behind them, the Panthers will take a break for the holidays before returning to action at home agianst Miles College. Still, picking up the win proved to be extremely important for Claflin.

“We’ve been playing .500 ball in many cases,” Woodard said. “I just wanted them to get to a point that they could not be frustrated, execute the offense and believe in themselves. I just want them to have confidence and have fun. If we can get to do that, then fatigue never sits in.”

Claflin’s women snapped their four-game losing streak after fending off a hungry Albany State Lady Rams team 65-60.

The Pantherettes went on an 8-0 run beginning at the 10:15 mark, thanks to two 3-point plays by Natalie Davis. That spurt pushed Claflin to a 27-19 halftime lead.

With the lead already in hand, Claflin came out in the second half ready to shoot. The Pantherettes opened the final 20 minutes of play with a 7-0 run, giving Claflin a 34-19 lead.

Defensively, the Pantherettes made it difficult for the Lady Rams, forcing 17 second-half turnovers.

The hot hand of Ashley Sorrell-Gibson propelled the Pantherettes ahead. The senior guard, who was the game’s high scorer with 20, scored 15 of Claflin’s 33 second-half points.

“In the first half, the refs got to me a little bit,” Sorrell-Gibson said. “So, a lot of frustration came over. When I get mad, I take control of the game and I put it in my hands most of the time. I had a few turnovers, but I stepped up when needed.”

In the end, the Lady Rams stormed back with a 10-0 run, but the Pantherettes held on to take their second win of the season.

“My phrase to the team was that we were going to refuse to lose,” Pantherettes interim head coach Vernell Keitt-Capers said. “If we did everything that we have been working on as far as defense and the rotation ... we said that we were going to win the ball game. We did everything right right until the end.”

MEN

CU (77) - Anthony Pigram 20, Eric Salley 17, Stacey McAlister 12, Efe Odigie 10, Jones 8, Oronsaye 3, Bookman 3, Young 2, Spence 2.

ASU (49) - Oscar Morris 16, Jamell Ellerbe 13, Jones 6, Chatmon 3, Bailey 3, Clark 2, Francis 2, Sims 2, Watkins 1, O’Neal 1.

WOMEN

CU (65) – Ashley Sorrell-Gibson 20, Natalie Davis 15, Donisha Albert 11, Lashaundra Barron 10, Brigham 5, Jones 4.

ASU (60) - Callie Hamilton 21, Nafeesha Frost 10, Adams 8, Daniels 6, Johnson 4, Bivins 4, Henderson 2, Fields 2, Peak 2, Wildgoose 1.