AIKEN, S.C. – It's official – the Lander women's basketball team is among the nation's elite. (Elite Eight Website)

The Lady Bearcats earned their first-ever trip to the Elite Eight, outlasting Wingate University 72-67 in double overtime Monday night in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional championship game at USC Aiken's Convocation Center.

No. 24 ranked Lander (24-7) advances to play in the national quarterfinals March 20-21, and 23 in San Antonio, Texas.

Lander's quarterfinal game will be versus South Region champion Rollins College (Fla.) on Tuesday, March 20, at 8:30 p.m. at Bill Greehey Arena on the campus of St. Mary's University. The No. 15 ranked Rollins Tars (27-5) beat Valdosta State 56-54 Monday night.

The semifinals are at 6 and 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 21, and the national championship game is at 7 p.m., Friday, March 23.

The other three quarterfinal games have No. 1-ranked Wayne State College facing No. 5 Bentley University, No. 2 Ashland University versus No. 8 Alaska-Anchorage, and Shaw University against No. 14 Pittsburg State. The Lander-Rollins winner faces the Shaw-Pittsburg State victor at 8:30 p.m., March 21.

"We talked about this being the third time. We used it as a positive," Lander coach Kevin Pederson said, referring to the team's third straight trip to the Sweet 16.

"The first time, we should have won. The second time (last year), Clayton State was the better team at the time. We're thankful for three chances at the Sweet Sixteen and for the opportunity to go to San Antonio."

Regional Tournament MVP Brittni Johnson played the entire 50 minutes, including 40 minutes of regulation and two five-minute overtime periods, and led the Lady Bearcats with 20 points and six assists. The senior guard had two huge 3-pointers in the second overtime that helped punch the ticket to San Antonio.

Kaylyn Small also had a huge game for Lander, posting a double-double with career highs in both points (19) and rebounds (22) including 17 defensive boards. The senior post player also had four blocked shots in 35 minutes of action, and made the All-Tournament team. Her previous career high was 18 points versus Augusta State Feb. 6, 2010.

Jasmine Judge also played the entire 50 minutes, scoring 13 points for the Lady Bearcats. Ciara Lyons scored 12 points and Precious Elkins added 11 boards for Lander, which out-rebounded Wingate 53-52.

Nikki Burton led Wingate (24-8) with 21 points, Simone Rutledge added 12 points, and Tish Logan grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. Burton and Rutledge also made the All-Tournament team as did USC Aiken's Kayla Harris.

Both teams struggled shooting. Lander made 27 of 71 shots from the floor (38 percent), 11 of 14 free throws (79 percent), and seven of 27 from 3-point range (26 percent).

Wingate hit 25 of 80 from the floor (31 percent), 12 of 18 free throws (67 percent) and five of 17 from behind the arc (29 percent).

It was the 100th career win for the Lady Bearcat senior class of Johnson, Judge, Lyons, Small, Keondra Barnes and Mukia Myrick. The Class of 2012's 100 victories broke the previous school record of 99 wins set by the Class of 2011 (Shannon McKever, Tasheba Butler and Katie Hupp).

Lander had a 13-point lead with 8:23 left in regulation and twice built four-point leads in the first overtime only to see the Lady Bulldogs rally each time.

Tied at 60 going into double overtime, Johnson hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the Lady Bearcats the lead in the first minute. But Burton scored twice in a span of 20 seconds, handing Wingate a 64-63 advantage with three minutes to go, their first lead since early in the opening half when it was 6-4.

Small scored inside for Lander, but the Lady Bulldogs tied it at 65 when Janitsha Williams made one of two free throws with 1:50 left.

Johnson hit another huge 3, this one from the left side in front of the Lady Bearcats bench to give Lander the lead for good at 68-65 at the 1:25 mark.

Burton's driving layup would pull Wingate within one with a minute left. But with the shot clock winding down, Lyons made a high-arcing, rainbow shot near the free throw line to restore Lander's three-point lead, 70-67, with 30 seconds left.

The Bulldogs nearly turned the ball over twice on their last possesson, then Burton attempted a 3-point shot from the right side that bounced off the rim. Small tipped the defensive rebound out to Judge, who was fouled with six-tenths of a second left. Judge made both free throws to clinch the biggest victory in school history.

As the final buzzer went off, the exhausted Lander players were able to celebrate their first Elite Eight appearance. The All-Tournament team was announced, the trophy was handed out, a championship picture was taken, and the Lady Bearcats would climb the ladder and cut down the nets.

Lander was certainly relieved after blowing a 13-point lead in the second half. Sarah Wollett's 3-pointer pulled Wingate within 50-47 with 4:22 to go in regulation, capping a game-changing 10-0 run.

The Lady Bearcats pushed their lead back to five when Myrick found Small inside for a basket and a 52-47 lead just under the four-minute mark.

But Lander committed two offensive fouls and Wingate one offensive foul in the next three possessions. The Lady Bearcats, however, built a seemingly safe lead again when Small rebounded a Wingate missed shot, was fouled, and made two free throws for a 54-47 lead with 2:22 left.

Wingate missed a 3-point attempt and Small grabbed the rebound giving Lander a chance to ice the victory as the clock ticked inside the two-minute mark, but LU turned it back over to Wingate.

Williams made a fast-break layup off the turnover to pull the Bulldogs within 54-49 with 1:36 left and Lander committed two more turnovers, each resulting in a foul as Burton made three of four free throws at 1:31 and 1:04 to cut it to 54-52 at the one-minute mark.

After the Lady Bearcats nearly turned the ball over again (saved by a timeout), Johnson missed a long jumper with 36 seconds left, giving Wingate an opportunity to tie or win.

Burton missed a layup, but the rebound went out of bounds off a Lander player. Then, with 10 seconds left, Williams scored off the in-bounds pass to make it 54-all.

The Lady Bearcats had a chance to win in regulation, inbounding the ball under their own goal with 10 seconds left, but they lost control of the ball when it dribbled off Johnson's foot. Lyons picked up the loose ball and missed an off-balance desperation shot in the final seconds, sending the game into overtime.

The first overtime was just as wild. The Lady Bearcats scored six of the first eight points when Lyons found Small open under the basket for a layup, Johnson made free throws, and Lyons made a driving layup to give Lander a 60-56 lead near the three-minute mark. But Rutledge scored inside and Burton would add two free throws with 1:58 left for a 60-all tie.

After a Lady Bearcat turnover and missed shots by each team moved the clock inside a minute to go, Small stole an entry pass, giving Lander a chance to retake the lead with 33 seconds left. But the Lady Bearcats missed a layup opportunity and turned the ball back over to Wingate, which had a chance to win it with 19 seconds left.

The Lady Bulldogs dribbled the ball outside the circle for several seconds, then Burton drove just inside the arc and took a jump shot as time was expiring. She missed off the front of the rim, sending the game into double overtime.

Both teams started slowly as Lander was 2-for-11 from the floor and 0-for-6 from 3-point range over the game's first six minutes, and trailed 6-4.

But the Lady Bearcats ran off 10 unanswered points to take a 14-6 lead. A Lyons back-court steal and layup tied it at 6-all at the 13:44 mark, Small scored inside, Myrick made a driving layup, Lyons hit a mid-range jumper, and Lyons scored again on a fast-break layup off one-touch passes from Johnson and Myrick for a 14-6 lead at the 11-minute mark.

Wingate also started slowly and was 3-for-19 from the floor before finally ending the 10-0 run on Chantal Dunbar's basket.

Judge hit Lander's first and only 3-pointer of the first half, extending the lead to 19-8. Small's basket gave the Lady Bearcats the largest lead of the first half at 12 points, 25-13, with 7:40 to go.

The Lady Bearcats led 31-21 at halftime despite going 1-for-13 from 3-point range.

Wingate rallied early in the second half, using a 10-2 run to pull within 33-31 with 16:31 left. Tiffany Brown, who missed about 14 minutes of the first half due to injury, hit two 3s during the run.

But Judge and Johnson hit 3s, pushing Lander's lead to 39-31 with 15 minutes left.

After Wollett scored off the glass for Wingate, Johnson provided an answer with a 3 from the left wing and a base-line jumper for a 44-35 lead at the 11:30 mark.

The Lady Bearcats got a huge possession when Elkins missed two free throws, but rebounded her second miss, passed the ball out to Judge for her 398th career 3-pointer and a 48-37 lead with 10:32 left. Elkins hit one of two free throws to match Lander's largest lead of the game at 12 points, 49-37, at the 9:13 mark.

Small made one of two free throws to give the Lady Bearcats their largest lead of the game at 50-37 with 8:23 left. But Kelli Bonner's quick 3 pulled Wingate within 50-40 with 8:09 remaining, starting a 10-0 run and setting the stage for a wild finish.