GREENWOOD – Junior center Kaylyn Small posted a double-double as the Lander women's basketball team celebrated its highest national ranking in school history with a 75-55 victory over UNC Pembroke Tuesday night at Horne Arena.
It was the Peach Belt Conference opener for both teams.
Earlier in the day, the Lady Bearcats moved up one spot from fourth to No. 3 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll on the strength of their 4-0 start, including a 24-point rout of then third-ranked Tusculum on Nov. 13.
Tuesday's victory pushed Lander's record to 5-0 overall, 1-0 in the Peach Belt. The Braves fell to 2-1, 0-1.
Small scored 13 points on six of 10 shooting from the floor and added a game-high 10 rebounds.
Tasheba Butler added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Lady Bearcats, Shannon McKever had 12 points and seven boards, Nardia Robbins scored 10 points, and Ciara Lyons added seven assists and eight rebounds. Chentieh Ladson also had eight rebounds.
DayDay Ray and Briana Stanton led Pembroke with 13 points apiece while Stanton had eight rebounds and Domonique Washington five assists.
Lander had a big edge on the boards, outrebounding the Braves 54-35. The Lady Bearcats had 29 offensive rebounds to only five for the visitors.
Lander made 28 of 80 shots from the floor (35 percent), 11 of 19 free throws (58 percent), and eight of 32 from 3-point range (25 percent).
Pembroke hit 21 of 50 shots (42 percent), 10 of 14 free throws (71 percent), and three of 10 from behind the arc (30 percent).
There were five lead changes and two ties in the first five minutes of the game. Butler broke the second tie with a layup off an inside pass from Lyons, giving the Lady Bearcats the lead for good at 14-12 lead at the 14:38 mark. McKever hit a pair of free throws and Brianna Webb added a 3-pointer for a 19-12 lead, completing a 7-0 Lander run.
Stanton scored twice to pull Pembroke within 19-16. But the Lady Bearcats responded with 16 unanswered points to break the game open. Ladson started the run with a pair of free throws. Webb hit a 3-pointer and was fouled, and although she missed the free throw, Lyons grabbed the offensive board and hit a jumper for Lander's first double-digit lead at 26-16 at the 10-minute mark.
Butler scored in the paint, McKever made one of two free throws, Robbins added a steal and driving layup, and McKever scored twice under the basket to complete the 16-0 run, making it 35-16 with 5:35 to go.
Alysia Hudson ended an almost seven-minute scoring drought for the Braves with a jumper to stop Lander's run of points.
But the Lady Bearcats picked up right back where they left off, scoring seven of the game's next eight points when Jasmine Judge hit a 3-pointer, Small scored inside, and Ladson made two free throws for a 42-19 lead.
Lander led 46-25 at the break, closing the first half with a 27-9 run over the final 10-plus minutes.
The first five minutes of the second half were much like the opening five of the first half, with the teams trading baskets leaving the Lady Bearcats with a still comfortable 56-34 lead.
But Lander would open up an even larger lead with Small scoring twice on put-backs and Webb hitting a 3-pointer to make it 63-36 with 13:14 left.
The Lady Bearcats, however, scored only three points over the next six-plus minutes as Pembroke used a 9-3 run to close within 66-45 with seven minutes to go. Anya Knower scored five of those points for the Braves.
But Lander scored on its next three offensive trips on baskets by Butler and Small, and Judge's 3-pointer to extend its lead to 73-47 with six minutes left.
