GREENWOOD – Tara Nyikavaranda's layup with 30.7 seconds left gave Lander the lead for good, and Bryony Crouch hit four free throws in the final seconds to give the Lady Bearcats a 73-68 non-conference victory over Virginia Union Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena.

Crouch led Lander (3-2) with 24 points while Bobbie Jo Grooms scored 14 points, including 10-of-10 free throws, and had 11 rebounds. Nyikavaranda had eight points and 10 rebounds.

LaToya Green led Virginia Union (0-3) with 21 points, Katchona Johnson added 14 points, LaChelle Roberts had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Andrea Bellamy added 10 points and 10 boards.

Jennifer Hukill's first basket of the game – a 3-pointer from the left corner – gave the Lady Bearcats a 67-66 lead with 1:27 left. It was Lander's first lead of the second half. But Bellamy answered, putting Virginia Union back on top, 68-67, with 58 seconds to go.

Lander was running out of time on its next possession and head coach Kevin Pederson called time out with five seconds left on the shot clock. He inserted Nyikavaranda into the game. Lashaundra Dubose inbounded a high lob pass from the side of the court to the 6-foot-2 Nyikavaranda under the basket and she scored.

Virginia Union's Roberts missed a shot with fewer than 10 seconds left, but the Panthers maintained possession. Racquel Jeffress took the inbounds pass and made a short jumper but was called for traveling with 3.1 seconds left. A technical was called on the Virginia Union bench and Crouch made two free throws. Lander got possession after the technical, Crouch was fouled, and she hit two more free throws for the final margin.

The Lady Bearcats led by as many as seven points five times in the first half. Their last seven-point lead came with 1:30 left on a pair of free throws by Grooms. Virginia Union closed the first half with a 7-0 run capped by Green's 3-pointer with four seconds left to force a 37-all tie at the intermission.

Virginia Union led by as many as nine points in the second half, 53-44, on a basket by Johnson with 11:15 to go. Crouch's 3-pointer pulled Lander within 57-56 with 7:30 left and the battle was on.

For the game, Lander made 19-of-65 shots from the floor (29 percent), 25-of-31 from the free-throw line (80 percent), and 10-of-32 from 3-point range (31 percent). Virginia Union made 27-of-69 shots from the field (39 percent), 11-of-16 from the line (69 percent), and 3-of-14 from behind the arc (21 percent).

The Panthers outrebounded Lander 52-44. Virginia Union had 22 turnovers while the Lady Bearcats had 21.