GREENWOOD - Shannon McKever scored 18 of her 20 points in the second half, leading Lander to an 80-72 victory over USC Aiken in an important Peach Belt Conference women's basketball game Wednesday night at Horne Arena.

Lander improved to 17-10 overall and 11-6 in the PBC. Aiken fell to 17-7, 10-7. The teams entered Wednesday's action tied for second in the Peach Belt standings.

LaShonda Chiles led Lander with 23 points, including five 3-pointers. McKever was the star of the game, scoring 20 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the floor including several baskets during 13-0 and 8-0 runs in the second half.

Tiara Good added a double-double for the Lady Bearcats with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Stephanie Ponds added 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. Good and TaSheba Butler led Lander with six assists apiece.

Avonte Williams led Aiken with 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Morgan Johnson had 17 points and three blocked shots, and Megan Starnes added 16 points. Johnson hit 8-of-11 shots.

Lander made 31 of 66 shots from the floor (47 percent), 11 of 16 from the free-throw line (69 percent), and seven of 22 from 3-point range (32 percent). The Lady Pacers hit 32 of 63 shots from the floor (51 percent), one of five free throws (20 percent), and seven of 21 from behind the arc (33 percent). The Lady Bearcats had a 39-33 edge on the boards while each team had 14 turnovers.

Meredith Legg's jumper gave Aiken a 16-7 lead with 13:35 left in the opening half, completing an 11-2 run. The Lady Bearcats responded with a 13-2 run, grabbing a 20-18 lead at the 7:38 mark on a Good basket. The lead changed hands several times the rest of the half with the Pacers taking a 34-33 lead at the break on a Starnes bucket with two seconds left.

Aiken led 40-35 on a jumper by Jordon Thomas with 16:50 left in the game. But McKever's basket less than a minute later tied the game for the ninth time at 40-all with 16:01 to go. Starnes and Thomas hit treys to put the Pacers back in front 46-40 with 15:19 left. But the Lady Bearcats answered with 13 unanswered points on a 3-pointer by Chiles, four baskets in a row by McKever, and a bucket by Butler to go up 53-46 with 11:26 to go.

Ponds hit a jumper with 8:33 left to give the Lady Bearcats their largest lead of the game, 63-52, completing a 23-6 run. But it was Aiken's turn to go on a run, getting back into the game with a 12-2 spurt including 3-pointers by Nakia Pinkney and Starnes. It was Starnes hitting a jumper with 5:50 left to close the Pacers within 65-64.

Lander responded with a game-breaking 8-0 run with McKever scoring a basket, Good hitting two free throws on Legg's technical foul, McKever scoring again, and Kianna Smith making a lay-up to put the hosts up 73-64 with 3:52 to go.

Johnson's jumper with 2:37 left pulled Aiken within five points at 73-68. But McKever scored again, Chiles hit a 3-pointer, and Smith completed the 7-0 run with a basket, giving the Lady Bearcats a safe 80-68 lead with 42 seconds to go.