GREENWOOD – Ty'hesha Reynolds scored 37 points and climbed into third place on Lander's career scoring list, leading the Bearcats to a crucial 88-72 Peach Belt Conference victory over Augusta University Wednesday night at Horne Arena.

Lander earned its fifth consecutive win, improving to 15-5 overall and 8-3 in the Peach Belt. The Bearcats won their fourth straight league game, staying ahead of UNC Pembroke (9-4) for first place in the PBC East. Pembroke rallied late to beat Flagler Wednesday.

After a road game at Flagler in St. Augustine, Fla., Saturday, Lander hosts Pembroke in an Eastern Division showdown next Monday night.

The Jaguars fell to 10-9 overall, 5-8 in the PBC.

The Bearcats have won six straight against Augusta.

Reynolds has scored 1,481 career points, trailing only Ciara Lyons and Shannon McKever on the career scoring list. The senior guard trails Lyons (1,497 career points) by only 16 points but is close to 300 behind McKever (1,744).

Reynolds blistered the nets by making 13 of 18 shots from the floor including five of eight from behind the 3-point line. She also hit six of eight free throws, grabbed six rebounds and had four assists.

This was not her highest-scoring game of the season, however. Reynolds scored 41 points versus Clayton State on Jan. 4, tying a school single-game record along with Truesdale and Aarika Judge.

Reigning PBC Player of the Week Breshay Johnson added yet another double-double for Lander Wednesday with 18 points on seven of 11 shooting from the floor and a game-high 14 rebounds.

Mylea McKenith added 16 points and five assists for the Bearcats. Jessica Harris led Lander with eight assists.

Breonna O'Conner paced the Jaguars with 18 points, Kayla Lovett added 15 points, Joshlyn Belcher made four of six from behind the arc and had 14 points, and Abrea Harris added 14 points while leading Augusta with six rebounds and six assists. Tavia Sykes contributed nine points while Cynara Pitt also had six rebounds.

The Bearcats made 33 of 55 shots from the floor in the game (60 percent) while out-rebounding the Jaguars 39-24.

Reynolds hit four 3s and scored 14 points in the first quarter while McKenith added a 3-pointer giving Lander its largest lead of the opening period at 26-14. Augusta's Belcher closed the quarter with a 3 and the Bearcats were up 26-17 going into the second period.

Jessica Harris's layup upped Lander's lead to 33-19 with 8:26 left in the opening half, the first of six 14-point leads. Reynolds made a layup giving her 21 points and the last of the 14-point leads at 46-32 with 1:36 left.

Belcher hit another 3 while Abrea Harris and Sykes added baskets in the final minute as the Jaguars closed the second quarter strong, pulling within 48-39 at the break.

Both teams shot very well in the first half with the Bearcats making 18 of 30 shots from the floor (60 percent) including seven of 12 from 3-point range (58 percent). Augusta hit 16 of 33 shots (48 percent) including four of six from behind the arc (67 percent). The teams were a combined 11 for 18 from 3-point territory (61 percent) in the opening half.

O'Conner's basket off Lovett's steal cut the Jaguar deficit to 48-41 in the opening minute of the third period. That was as close as the game would get.

The lead was back at 14 when Lander's Tabitha Dailey grabbed an offensive rebound, made the shot off the glass, was fouled, and completed a three-point play for a 58-44 lead at the 5:24 mark.

Johnson followed with a layup about a minute later as the Bearcats had their first 16-point advantage at 60-44.

Lovett scored to pull Augusta within 61-50 with 2:33 left in the quarter. But Lander scored the game's next eight points, all by Reynolds and McKenith, to extend the lead to 19. After the Jaguars hit one of two free throws, the Bearcats closed the third quarter with Lea Petit's layup off a nice pass from Jessica Harris for a 71-51 advantage.

Petit's layup off Kyra Wilson's steal gave Lander its largest lead of the game at 22 points, 75-53, with 7:16 left in the final quarter.

Abrea Harris followed Lovett's three-point play with a basket, pulling Augusta within 77-64 with 3:49 to go.

Reynolds made a layup with 2:02 left, giving the Bearcats an 85-66 lead and moving her past Truesdale on the scoring list.