Clayton State (34-1) will try to finish a magical season in the women’s NCAA Division II national basketball tournament against Michigan Tech (31-2) at 8 p.m. Friday (ESPN2).

It will mark the first time a Clayton State team in any sport has played for a national title and the first time since 1976 that a Michigan Tech team has competed for a national title in any sport.

The Lakers have won five games in the playoffs to reach the title game, with winning margins of 25, 26, 16, 3 and 17 points, the latter a semifinal victory against Shaw College (N.C.) on Wednesday night in St. Joseph, Mo.

Clayton State averages 80-plus points per game, but it has relied on defensive pressure to force turnovers, including 29 in the victory against Shaw.

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Gainesville tight end Trent Wilcox (89) scores a receiving touchdown against Hughes defensive back Jalen Hoskins (37) during the first half in their quarter-final game of the GHSA Class 5A state playoffs at Langston Hughes High School, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, in Fairburn, Ga. (Jason Getz / AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

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Ja’Quon Stembridge, shown here in July at the Henry County Republican Party monthly meeting, recently stepped from his position with the Georgia GOP. (Jenni Girtman for the AJC)

Credit: Jenni Girtman