GREENWOOD – Columbus State's Carrie Washington had 26 rebounds and seven blocked shots as the Cougars won a battle of Peach Belt Conference division leaders, ending Lander's 15-game winning streak 78-70 Tuesday night at Horne Arena.

The Lady Bearcats hadn't lost since Nov. 15 on the road. Lander fell to 15-3 overall and continue to lead the PBC East at 8-1.

The No. 16 Lady Cougars improved to 17-1 and continue to lead the Peach Belt West division at 8-1. Columbus is coached by former Lander coach Jonathan Norton (2002-03, 2003-04, and 2004-05).

Lander trailed by as many as 15 points with less than eight minutes left in the game but had a chance to pull within three inside the four-minute mark but couldn't convert as the Cougars pulled away.

Columbus had a huge 63-38 rebounding advantage, with Washington securing 16 defensive boards and 10 on the offensive end. Ashley Asouzu added 10 rebounds.

Dee Dee Deshazer and Michelle Mitchell led Columbus with 20 points apiece, Washington added 15 points including nine of 12 free throws, and Britteny Tatum led the Cougars with six assists.

Kayla West paced Lander with 19 points, making eight of 11 shots from the floor. Bre Crum scored all nine of her points in the second half, and Ty'hesha Reynolds also scored nine points.

Breshay Johnson and Portia McCray led the Lady Bearcats with seven rebounds apiece while Aarika Judge had four steals.

Lander made 25 of 77 shots from the floor (33 percent), 16 of 24 free throws (67 percent) and four of 21 from 3-point range (19 percent).

Columbus hit 24 of 63 shots (38 percent), 25 of 36 free throws (69 percent) and five of 18 from behind the arc (28 percent) with Deshazer making four of the five.

Judge's three-point play gave Lander an 18-13 lead with 7:55 left in the first half and Reynolds hit two free throws to match that five-point advantage at 20-15 with 6:20 to go.

But Erin Morrow's put-back, Tatum's layup off Mitchell's steal, and Mitchell's jumper in the paint pulled Columbus State within 22-21 at the five-minute mark.

West made a pair of 3s, giving the Lady Bearcats their largest lead of the game at 30-23 with 3:17 left.

But the Cougars closed the first half with a 13-2 run, taking a 36-32 advantage at the break. Washington scored eight of those 13 points while Morrow contributed a 3.

The run continued into the second half with Deshazer making three 3s and a layup, extending Columbus's lead to 48-37 with 16:25 to go.

Deshazer hit her fourth 3 in a row, building the Cougars lead to 55-41 just inside the 13-minute mark.

Lander twice pulled within 11 on Judge's 3 and McCray's basket in the paint, cutting it to 57-46 with 11:41 to go. West hit a 3 to pull the Lady Bearcats within 59-50 with 9:56 left.

Mitchell scored two baskets and a pair of free throws, giving Columbus its largest lead of the game at 65-50 with 7:46 to go.

Crum's three-point play pulled Lander within 65-54 at the 6:24 mark. The Lady Bearcats were back within single digits when Crum drove in for a layup and converted another three-point play, making it 67-59 with 5:40 left. And McCray's put-back cut the deficit to six, 67-61, at the five-minute mark completing an 11-2 run.

Deshazer made two free throws to increase the Cougar lead to eight. But West made a driving layup, then Lander collected a turnover with a chance to draw within three points inside the four-minute mark but Judge's 3-point attempt was no good.

Columbus took advantage of Judge's miss as Washington made a fast-break basket to up the lead to 71-63 with 3:27 left, and it was another two-plus minutes until anyone scored again. Deshazer hit a pair of free throws to increase the lead to 73-63 with 1:27 to go.

West's layup with 1:07 left ended Lander's three-minute scoring drought, pulling the hosts within 74-65.

Reynolds converted a three-point play to close the deficit to 77-70 with 35 seconds to go and teammate Sakezia Kelly stole the ball but Lander was not able to convert.