AMERICUS, Ga. - The No. 11-ranked Lander women's basketball team remained unbeaten in the Peach Belt Conference Saturday afternoon and stretched its win streak to 11 games as the Lady Bearcats defeated Georgia Southwestern University, 84-70, in the Storm Dome.
Lander improves to 18-1 overall and 11-0 in the PBC, while GSW drops to 9-10, 4-5. The Lady Bearcats are one win away from equalling the best start ever by a Lander women's basketball team. The 1980-81 team went 19-1 en route to a 21-3 season. The Lady Bearcats will next host Augusta State at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 6.
Junior center Shannon McKever, who surpassed the 1,000-point milestone last week at USC Aiken, posted her seventh double-double of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds. McKever connected on 7-of-13 field goals and also totaled five blocked shots. Mukia Myrick (7-of-12 from the field) also netted 16 points, while grabbing five rebounds and three steals. Ciara Lyons added 13 points and Keondra Barnes 12.
Terra Branch led GSW with 16 points, while Jessica Bivins and Whitley Wiltz added 15 each and Brittany Reynolds netted 10. Kanita Holloway led GSW with eight rebounds, while Reynolds had seven and Wiltz six.
The Lady Bearcats used a 14-5 run in the first half to go from a 14-13 lead to a 28-18 advantage with 8:33 left in the first half. Lander then stretched the lead to 45-21 with 1:47 left in the half on Kami Phillips' layup.
GSW got as close as 14 points with 13:32 left in the game on Branch's layup, but the Bearcats immediately went up 58-39 with 11:45 left on a McKever layup and Brittni Johnson three pointer.
The Lady 'Canes ended the game with a 9-1 run to cut the final margin to 14 points in the last 2:36.
Lander, which led 45-28 at halftime, connected on 35-of-74 field goals for 47.3 percent, including 7-of-17 three pointers for 41.2 percent. The Lady Bearcats also made 7-of-15 free throws. Lander out-rebounded the Lady Hurricanes, 50-40.
GSW made 26-of-68 floor shots for 38.2 percent, including 7-of-14 three pointers for 50 percent. The Lady Hurricanes also made 11-of-15 foul shots for 73.3 percent.
