GREENWOOD – Lander's Shannon McKever posted a double-double as the No. 2 ranked Lady Bearcats bounced back from their only loss of the season, beating Peach Belt Conference rival Francis Marion 78-65 Wednesday night at Horne Arena.
Lander improved to 24-1 overall and 14-1 in the PBC. The Lady Patriots fell to 15-8 overall and 8-7 in the league.
McKever had a dominant double-double, hitting eight of nine shots from the floor and scoring 21 points while adding 15 rebounds. McKever scored 17 of her points in the second half when the Lady Bearcats outscored Francis Marion 43-32.
Jasmine Judge hit six 3-pointers and finished with 18 points for Lander while Mukia Myrick added 14 points. Brittni Johnson led Lander with six assists while McKever had four steals.
The Lady Bearcats recorded 22 assists on their 27 baskets. However, Francis Marion out-rebounded Lander 54-46, and the Lady Bearcats struggled from the free-throw line making only 16 of 31 free throws (52 percent).
Lander bounced back from its first loss, 83-81, at Clayton State last Thursday night. Then No. 2 Clayton and No. 1 Lander switched places in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 poll released on Tuesday.
Shannon Singleton-Bates led the Patriots with 16 points but made only four of 17 shots from the floor. Robin Colbert had a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds, while Monica Mann and Brittany Christian added 10 points apiece. Mann led Francis Marion with five assists.
Lander hit 27 of 68 shots from the floor (40 percent), including eight of 29 from 3-point range (28 percent).
The Patriots hit 22 of 68 shots from the floor (32 percent), 16 of 22 free throws (73 percent), and five of 23 from behind the arc (17 percent).
The Lady Bearcats held a slim 35-33 halftime lead and Colbert's layup in the first minute of the second half tied the game at 35.
But Lander began to click, building seven-point leads at 44-37, 46-39, and 47-41 on a 3-pointer by Judge, and baskets by Myrick and McKever
Judge's fourth 3-pointer matched Lander's largest lead of the game at eight points, 51-43, with 15:18 left. And the Lady Bearcats expanded their lead into double digits for the first time on Myrick's 3-pointer, making it 58-46 at the 13-minute mark.
McKever's two free throws pushed Lander's lead to 14 points, 60-46, with 12:22 to go. Francis Marion pulled back within single digits on a Singleton-Bates basket in the paint, making it 60-51.
The Lady Bearcats regained their 14-point lead when McKever hit the first of two free throws, making it 65-51 with 9:17 to go.
Judge's fifth 3-pointer of the night extended Lander's lead to 71-53 with 6:16 left.
Christian's 3-pointer cut Francis Marion's deficit to 13, 72-59, with 3:15 remaining. But that was as close as it would get. Judge's sixth and final trey made it 78-59 with 1:57 to go.
After Myrick converted a three-point play to give Lander a 5-0 lead with 17:40 left in the opening half, the Patriots answered with a 13-4 run including 3-pointers by Colbert and Christian to give the visitors a 13-9 advantage.
Tasheba Butler scored inside, Brianna Webb made a 3-pointer, and Myrick hit two free throws during a 7-0 run that gave the Lady Bearcats the lead back at 16-13 at the halfway point of the first half.
Lander extended its lead to 24-17 on a Judge trey at the 8:28 mark and Kaylyn Small hit a free throw, giving the Lady Bearcats their largest lead of the first half at eight, 25-17, with 7:22 to go.
Francis Marion was trailing 27-21 when Singleton-Bates scored her team's next nine points to temporarily change the game's momentum. Singleton-Bates made five of six free throws and two baskets to start a 12-2 run, and Mann completed the run with a 3-pointer to hand the Patriots a 33-29 lead at the 2:26 mark.
But Lander scored the final six points of the first half with Small hitting a free throw, Small making a basket, and Judge hitting a 3-pointer with nine seconds left that gave the hosts a 35-33 lead at halftime.
