GREENWOOD –In a battle of nationally-ranked teams, guards Ciara Lyons and Brittni Johnson each scored career highs to lead No. 20 Lander to an intense 91-86 Peach Belt Conference victory over 15th-ranked Francis Marion Wednesday night at Horne Arena.
Lyons scored 19 of her 27 points in the second half to pace the Lady Bearcats, who improved to 11-1 overall and stayed unbeaten in the Peach Belt at 4-0. Johnson added 19 points and seven assists while making eight of eight free throws.
Lyons’ previous career high was 25 points Feb. 11, 2009 versus Augusta State during her Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year campaign. Johnson’s previous high was 15 points against Francis Marion Feb. 16, 2009.
Shannon Singleton-Bates scored 17 of her 21 points in the second half to lead Francis Marion, which fell to 10-2 overall and 2-1 in the PBC. Nicole Mealing added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Patriots, while Tiahana Bowens had 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Tasheba Butler added 12 points and seven rebounds for Lander, while Shannon McKever had nine points and game highs with 14 rebounds and four blocked shots.
For the game, the Lady Bearcats made 33 of 80 shots from the floor (41 percent), 21 of 35 free throws (60 percent), and four of 17 from 3-point range (24 percent). They hit 59 percent of their shots in the second half (23 of 39).
Francis Marion made 33 of 75 shots from the floor (44 percent), 16 of 31 free throws (52 percent), and four of 10 from behind the arc (40 percent).
The Lady Patriots had a 55-48 edge on the boards and committed 28 turnovers, though only six of those came in the second half. Lander committed 16 turnovers.
After Francis Marion’s Shana Franks tied the game at 70 with six-plus minutes to go, Butler scored two baskets in a row and Lyons hit a layup off a McKever blocked shot to give Lander the lead for good at 76-70 with five minutes left.
Robin Colbert’s basket pulled the Patriots within 78-76 with 3:05 left. But Lander finally got some breathing room, increasing its lead when Mukia Myrick scored on a put-back and Lyons made a driving layup off a pass from Nardia Robbins, was fouled, and converted the three-point play for an 83-76 lead at the 2:22 mark.
After a Francis Marion free throw, the Lady Bearcats ran valuable time off the clock and Myrick drove in for a layup with the shot clock about to expire, making it 85-77 with 1:36 to go.
Lander padded the lead some more on another Lyons layup off a long pass from Johnson to make it 87-78. Nicole Mealing’s 3-pointer pulled the Patriots back within six, 87-81, with one minute left.
Any chance for a Francis Marion comeback ended when the visitors missed four free throws and three shots in the paint during one long possession that concluded with 28 seconds to go.
Johnson drove the length of the floor for a layup, giving Lander a comfortable 89-81 advantage with 21 seconds left. Singleton-Bates converted a three-point play and Precious Tucker hit two free throws in the final second to cut the final margin to five points.
The score was tied at 13 when Jasmine Judge hit three consecutive 3-pointers, the last giving Lander a 22-13 lead with 10:12 left in the first half. Johnson added two free throws to complete an 11-0 run.
The Lady Bearcats built their lead to 12, 27-15, on Kaylyn Small’s basket. But Francis Marion outscored Lander 21-6 the rest of the half. Mealing hit 3-pointers to pull the visitors within 27-22 at the 7:29 mark and 31-30 with 2:15 to go.
After Lander’s Kami Phillips hit a free throw, Francis Marion’s Eboni Fields nailed a short jumper to tie the game at 32 with 1:15 left. Monica Mann converted a three-point play after hitting an off-balance jumper in the lane with 16 seconds left to give the Patriots a 36-33 halftime lead.
The Lady Bearcats struggled shooting in the first half, making only 10 of 41 attempts (24 percent) while Francis Marion hit 14 of 33 (42 percent). The Patriots committed 22 turnovers in the first half, but made up for those struggles by out-shooting and out-rebounding (32-23) Lander.
McKever established herself early in the second half with three inside baskets on the offensive end and two blocked shots on the defensive side as Lander, with the first 11 points of the second half, outscored the Patriots 17-5 over the first four minutes for a 50-41 lead.
Francis Marion, as it did in the first half, stormed back. The Patriots used an 11-4 run, with Mann’s jumper in the lane pulling the visitors within 54-52 at the 12:37 mark.
Francis Marion took its first lead since early in the second half, 60-59, on Danielle Downs’ put-back with 10:28 left. The score was tied at 62 and 64, then Francis Marion regained a 68-64 lead.
This time it was Lander’s turn to rally. Lyons scored on a driving layup off a McKever blocked shot, and then Lyons stole the in-bounds pass, got fouled, and hit two free throws to tie the game at 68 with 6:44 to go. Myrick completed a 6-0 run with a basket, giving the Lady Bearcats a 70-68 lead at the 6:30 mark before the Patriots tied the game for the last time.
