GREENWOOD – Stephanie Ponds and Tiara Good combined for 55 points, leading the Lander Lady Bearcats to a 75-62 Peach Belt Conference victory over USC Upstate Wednesday night at Horne Arena.

Lander improved to 12-10 overall and 6-5 in the Peach Belt. The Spartans fell to 10-12, 5-6.

Ponds had a big night for the Lady Bearcats, hitting 14 of 19 shots from the floor and scoring a game-high 28 points while adding nine rebounds. Good added 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Tierra Kirkland led Lander with a game-high 12 rebounds while Bryony Crouch added nine points and eight assists.

Danielle Edwards led Upstate with 21 points while Kianna Smith added 13 points.

Lander, playing at a slower pace than in previous games this season, out-shot the Spartans 49 percent to 33 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the visitors 45-33.

Upstate had cut its deficit to single digits on a three-point play by Edwards, making it 49-40 with 13:30 to go. But Lander responded with a 12-0 run on a driving lay-up by Good, 3-pointers by Good and Crouch, and a pair of baskets by Ponds to make it 61-40 at the 10:05 mark.

Smith hit a 3-pointer for the Spartans to end the streak. But Good answered with a 3-pointer of her own, giving her 25 points with 9:30 left. Then Ponds scored inside to give Lander its biggest lead of the game at 66-43. Upstate outscored the Lady Bearcats 19-9 the rest of the way.

Lander started off fast, using a 23-5 run to expand a 7-6 edge at the 16:41 mark to 30-11 with 9:19 to go in the first half. Ponds and Good had eight points apiece during the run while April McClendon scored two baskets.

But Upstate outscored the Lady Bearcats 17-9 over the last seven minutes of the half to close within 39-28 at the break. Edwards scored eight of those 17 points, including six free throws.

Good, Ponds and Edwards dominated the scoring in the first half with Good amassing 15 points while Ponds and Edwards had 14 apiece. Ponds made 7-of-8 shot in the first half while Kirkland had nine rebounds.

For the game, Lander made 31 of 63 shots from the floor (49 percent), 6 of 10 from the free-throw line (60 percent), and 7 of 18 from 3-point territory (39 percent). Upstate hit 21 of 63 shots from the floor (33 percent), 15 of 20 free throws (75 percent), and 5 of 18 from behind the arc (28 percent).