GREENWOOD – Tasheba Butler posted a double-double while Nardia Robbins dished out 13 assists, leading unbeaten and No. 2 ranked Lander to an easy 96-56 Peach Belt Conference victory over Flagler College Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena.
The Lady Bearcats improved to 15-0 overall and 5-0 in the PBC. Only Delta State (Miss.) is ranked higher in NCAA Division II.
The Lady Saints fell to 3-8, 1-3.
Butler had 20 points and 10 rebounds while teammate Shannon McKever just missed a double-double of her own with 17 points and nine boards. The two Lander post players dominated inside with 37 points and 19 rebounds while hitting 17 of 25 shots from the floor (Butler was 10-for-15, McKever 7-for-10). Butler also had six steals while McKever added to her Lander career blocked shots total with three more.
Ciara Lyons added 14 points for the Lady Bearcats while Mukia Myrick scored 11. Ironically, Robbins scored in the first seconds of the game, but did not score again. But her 13 assists were a career high.
All 11 Lander players scored in the game.
Jen Knurek led Flagler with 16 points, Ebonee Bell added 10 points, and Shelbi Lindsey paced the Saints with eight rebounds and four assists. Adrienne Donelson had three blocked shots for Flagler.
The Lady Bearcats made 39 of 79 shots from the floor (49 percent), 12 of 18 free throws (67 percent), and six of 17 from 3-point range (35 percent).
Flagler hit 20 of 55 shots (36 percent), 12 of 14 free throws (86 percent), and four of 12 from behind the arc (33 percent).
Each team had 39 rebounds while the Lady Bearcats forced 29 turnovers while committing only 12.
Lander was never threatened, building a 10-2 lead including a 3-pointer by Robbins and a jumper by Butler in the first 30 seconds of the game. Arianna Roper's 3-pointer cut Flagler's deficit to 14-7 and Donelson's free throw pulled the Lady Saints within 16-10 with 13:16 to go. That was as close as the game would get.
The Lady Bearcats slowly began to pull away, doubling their lead to 20-10, 24-12 and 28-14 on two baskets by McKever and one by Keondra Barnes. Lander increased its lead to 20 when McKever grabbed a defensive rebound, and threw a long pass to Brittni Johnson who made a driving layup, making it 36-16 at the 5:30 mark.
McKever's layup off a pass from Robbins doubled the lead again to 40-20 with 4:15 remaining. Brianna Webb's 3-pointer from the left side upped the Lady Bearcat advantage to 45-22 with 1:20 left. Johnson's free throw with 1.7 seconds left doubled the lead again to 48-24 going into halftime.
Butler scored twice and McKever once in the first two minutes of the second half, helping Lander increase its lead to 56-27. At that point, Butler and McKever were 14-of-20 from the floor for a combined 30 points.
Lyons hit a free throw at the 16-minute mark, giving the Lady Bearcats a 60-27 lead.
Rachelle Rasley's first basket of the season upped Lander's lead to 68-32 and she added two free throws as the Lady Bearcats hit the 70-point mark with 11 minutes left.
Jasmine Judge hit a pair of 3-pointers, increasing Lander's lead to 76-38 at the nine-minute mark. McKever scored for an 80-41 lead with 7:30 left, and Judge hit another 3 to increase the lead to 42.
Myrick drove inside for a layup, giving the Lady Bearcats a 90-45 lead with 4:38 to go. Lady Bearcats reserve Katie Hupp joined the scoring, nailing a jump shot with 26 seconds left.
