AIKEN, S.C. – Lander's Shannon McKever posted her 12th double-double of the season as the Lady Bearcats dominated from the start, using an early 15-0 run on their way to an 83-63 Peach Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinal victory over Armstrong Atlantic State Thursday afternoon at USC Aiken's Convocation Center.
Lander (18-10) advances to the Peach Belt semifinals where they will face top seed and No. 14-ranked Francis Marion Saturday at 2. Armstrong finished its season 17-11.
The Lady Bearcats had lost at Armstrong in the regular season finale just five days earlier.
McKever hit 8-of-11 shots from the floor, as the All-Peach Belt second-team player finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. PBC Freshman of the Year Ciara Lyons added 13 points for the Lady Bearcats, Jasmine Judge scored nine points, TaSheba Butler scored eight, and Kaylyn Small added eight points and eight rebounds. Ten different Lander players scored.
All-PBC first-teamer Lacey Willis led the Pirates with 17 points and nine rebounds, Ashley Duhart had 11 points and seven assists, and Dartayvia Thomas chipped in seven points and seven rebounds.
The Lady Bearcats wasted no time blowing the game open. After Duhart scored with 18:17 left in the first half to pull Armstrong into a 4-4 tie, Lander scored 15 unanswered points when Judge hit a 3-pointer, Mukia Myrick made a lay-up, Judge hit another 3, Brittni Johnson got a steal and lay-up, was fouled and converted a three-point play, Johnson scored again, and Small finished the run with a bucket to put the Lady Bearcats up 19-4 with 12:29 left in the half.
Duhart hit a jumper at the 11:48 mark, ending almost a seven-minute scoring drought for the Pirates. Armstrong got no closer than 11 points the rest of the way, pulling within 23-12 when Thomas hit two free throws with 9:16 to go.
Lander went on another run, this time outscoring the Pirates 10-2, for a 33-14 lead with 5:26 left in the half. Lyons scored twice during the run while McKever, Johnson and Keondra Barnes each scored a basket.
The lead grew to 20 on a fast-break basket by Lyons, making it 38-18 at the 3:21 mark. Willis hit a lay-up at the buzzer for Armstrong and the Lady Bearcats took a 44-27 lead into the halftime break. Lander hit 19 of 36 shots (53 percent) in the first half.
The Lady Bearcats twice pushed the lead back to 20 in the opening two minutes of the second half, including another 3-pointer by Judge to make it 50-30. Judge's 3 started a 14-4 run, stretching a 47-30 lead to the team's largest of the game at 61-34 on a 3-pointer by Nardia Robbins with 12:09 left.
Armstrong then showed some life, scoring 10 unanswered points on baskets by Portia Jones and Willis, and 3-pointers by Lauren Hall and Duhart to close within 61-44 at the 8:21 mark. The Pirates got as close as 16 points, 62-46, on Duhart's two free throws with 7:06 to go.
But the Lady Bearcats ended any thoughts of an Armstrong comeback, responding with a 10-0 run of their own on Small's three-point play, three consecutive baskets by Butler, and a free throw by Lyons to make it 72-46 with 5:02 left.
The Pirates got no closer than 22 points the rest of the way until scoring the game's final basket, cutting the final margin to 20.
For the game, Lander made 32 of 76 shots from the floor (42 percent), 15 of 21 free throws (71 percent), and four of 15 from behind the 3-point line (27 percent). The Lady Bearcats had a huge 53-36 edge on the boards, resulting in a 27-7 advantage in second-chance points.
Armstrong hit 24 of 60 shots (40 percent), nine of 14 free throws (64 percent), and six of 17 from beyond the arc (35 percent). The Pirates committed 17 turnovers while Lander lost the ball only 10 times.
