GREENWOOD – Lander cut a 17-point second half deficit to two before falling to Augusta State 58-53 in the Peach Belt Conference women's basketball opener for both schools Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena where each team shot under 30 percent from the floor and combined for 102 rebounds.

Tanchelle Hollingsworth led the Lady Jaguars (6-0, 1-0 PBC) with 16 points while Taylor Ayers added 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Augusta ended an eight-game losing streak to Lander.

Lea Saunders paced Lander (1-4, 0-1 PBC) with 19 points, including three crucial 3-pointers in the second half that got the Lady Bearcats back in the game.

Saunders and Lander teammate Precious Elkins each had double-doubles, with Saunders grabbing 11 rebounds, and Elkins adding 13 points and 14 boards.

Elkins is the only player returning from last year's Lander national Elite Eight team that was honored with a Southeast Regional championship ring ceremony at halftime of the men's game. All players, coaches and staff received rings.

Jamie Shaw added 11 rebounds and two blocked shots for the Lady Bearcats.

Jemimah Ashby and Tiffany Jaecks had eight rebounds apiece for Augusta, while Brittany White led the team with six assists.

In a game in which the first 18 shots were missed, Augusta shot only 28 percent from the floor while the Lady Bearcats hit just 25 percent.

The Jaguars made 20 of 71 shots from the floor, 14 of 17 free throws (82 percent) and four of 14 from 3-point range (29 percent).

Lander hit 15 of 61 shots, 17 of 22 free throws (77 percent), and only six of 26 from behind the arc (23 percent).

There were 63 defensive rebounds in the game, with the 5-foot-4 Saunders grabbing 10.

Lander trailed by 17 points, 40-23, inside the 16-minute mark of the second half before mounting a comeback sparked by its defense. The Jaguars made only four field goals over the game's final 15:36.

Aarika Judge's free throws pulled the Lady Bearcats within 42-29 with 12:48 left and Lander had four possessions with a chance to pull within 11 before finally doing so on two free throws by Elkins, making it 42-31 at the 11-minute mark.

After Jaecks ended a four-minute scoring drought for Augusta, Judge hit a 3 to pull the Lady Bearcats within 44-34 with 9:27 left.

Lander closed within single digits for the first time in the second half when Shaw made two free throws, cutting it to 44-36 with 8:30 to go.

After an exchange of points, Elkins made a driving layup off a great lead pass from Saunders to pull the Lady Bearcats within 46-40 with 7:20 left.

Saunders hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to pull Lander within 47-43 and after Judge caused a turnover on the other end, Elkins got inside, was fouled and hit two free throws to make it 47-45 with 5:49 to go.

Ashby's free throws extended Augusta's lead to 49-45 with 5:26 left, and neither team scored over the next two-and-a-half minutes.

Ayers converted a put-back to give the Jaguars a 51-45 cushion at the 2:52 mark.

Saunders drew Lander back within a possession at 51-48 with 1:19 left on a 3 from the right wing.

Augusta guard White dribbled several seconds off the clock before passing off to Ayers for a jumper, making it 53-48 with 55 seconds left.

But Saunders hit another 3, pulling the Lady Bearcats within 53-51 with 42 seconds to go.

White again took several seconds off the clock before finding Hollingsworth, who hit a fall-away 3 to make it 56-51 with 12.7 seconds left.

Shaw's free throws with 3.2 seconds left cut Lander's deficit with 56-53. But Hollingsworth hit two free throws with 1.7 seconds left for Augusta to clinch the victory.

The first 18 shots of the game were all misses as both Lander and Augusta State were 0-for-9 from the floor. But Augusta's Ayers made a layup off an offensive rebound to end the streak of missed shots, tying the game at 2 with 15:35 left in the first half. Briana Wade had made two free throws for the Lady Bearcat points.

After five more missed shots between the two teams, the Jaguars took the lead on Hollingsworth's 3, making it 5-2 with 13:13 left.

Lander was 0-for-13 until Saunders hit a 3 from the left corner to tie the game at 5-all with 12:05 to go. She made another trey from the same spot, giving the Lady Bearcats an 8-7 lead at the 11:26 mark.

Ayers scored two baskets in a row, giving Augusta an 11-8 advantage at the midway point of the opening half.

Lander's first two-point basket of the game after an 0-for-11 start from inside the arc came on a layup by Elkins off an offensive rebound, pulling the Lady Bearcats within 11-10 with 9:22 to go.

Augusta responded with 13 unanswered points, with Hollingsworth hitting three free throws after being fouled behind the arc, Brooke McCants made a 3, Hollingsworth launched a shot high off the glass and turned it into a three-point play, McCants added a put-back, and Becky Newhouse made a layup off an inbounds pass for a 24-10 lead at the six-minute mark.

Wade's fast-break layup ended Lander's scoreless streak. But the Jaguars scored eight of the game's next 10 points, including a 3 by Eryka Menzies, for a 32-14 lead with four minutes to go. It would be the team's largest lead of the game.

The Lady Bearcats ended the first half on a 7-2 run – with five points by Elkins – and trailed 34-21 at halftime.

Lander was 7-for-35 shooting in the first half (20 percent) while Augusta made 13 of 40 (33 percent) shots. There were a combined 56 missed shots in the first half.

The first seven shots of the second half were missed until Augusta's Jaecks made a driving layup just inside the 17-minute mark for a 36-21 Jaguars lead.

Lander's Shaw answered by making a long jumper on the ensuing possession. But Newhouse's jumper from near the free-throw line extended Augusta's lead to 17 points, 40-23, with 15:36 left.