No. 6 Bearcats travel to Georgia College Saturday

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The No. 6-ranked Lander women's basketball team will travel to Georgia College for a 1:30 p.m. matchup Saturday in Milledgeville.

QUICK HITTERS

Where to Watch: PBC Sports Network

Live stats: LanderBearcats.com

First Met: 1990-91 (68-56 Lander)

Last Met: Feb. 26, 2020 (85-36 Lander)

Lander Record: 5-0, 3-0 PBC

Georgia College Record: 1-1, 1-1 PBC

Last Five Against Georgia College: 3-2

Next Game For Lander: Jan. 20, 2021 at Augusta (5:30 pm)

STORYLINES

Lander dominated Francis Marion, 79-35, Saturday in Greenwood. Zamiya Passmore led the way with 22 points and five assists. Miriam Recarte added 14 points. The Bearcats held the Patriots to just 22% from the floor - their best field goal percentage defense since at least 2002-03.
Lander trails Georgia College 28-26 in the series. Last year, the Bearcats beat the Bobcats 86-48 in Greenwood and won 85-36 in Milledgeville.
The Bearcats have won the last three meetings in the series.
Passmore was named the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week on Monday, becoming the first Bearcat in program history to win the award in her freshman and sophomore seasons. She is averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game.
The Bearcats are allowing 49.4 points per game through five games, which is fourth in the country and just 3.8 points behind national leader Lubbock Christian. Lander's team scoring defense record is 54.0 points per game, set during the 1980-81 season.
Lander women's basketball is playing its 45th season in 2020-21. Lander played its first full varsity season in 1976-77 under the leadership of Jerry Hawkins. During its history, the program has won 708 games, amassed 27 winning seasons, won 11 conference championships, made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, and captured the 2012 Southeast Region championship.
Head coach Kevin Pederson is in his 16th season in Greenwood. He's led the Bearcats to a record of 317-153 (.674), four PBC Tournament championships, five conference titles, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances in 14 postseasons, and one Elite Eight.
Pederson's 317 wins are the most in program history. The previous record was held by Katrina Sacoco, who won 119 games (1984-91, 97).
Lander has been ranked nationally in eight straight D2SIDA polls and six straight WBCA Coaches polls, dating back to Feb. 3, 2020.
The Bearcats' No. 6 ranking is the highest for Lander since 2010-11, when the Bearcats rose to No. 1 in the USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25.
Lander is 103-21 in PBC play since the 2014-15 campaign.
Makaila Cange grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds against Francis Marion.
Cangé and Recarte have combined for 29.3 points and 24.7 rebounds per game in Lander's last three contests.
Recarte leads the Peach Belt Conference with 13 blocks this season and ranks 11th nationally with 2.6 blocks per game.
Lander has won its first five games by an average of 23.2 points per game, which ranks ninth nationally.
The Bearcats grabbed a season-high 60 rebounds against Francis Marion, the most since Lander recorded 63 rebounds against USC Upstate on Feb. 21, 2007.
Sarah Crews is 8-for-21 from beyond the arc this season, shooting 38.1 percent from deep to lead the Bearcats in made threes and three-point percentage.
Cangé, Recarte, and Amiaya Melvins all recorded double-doubles in Lander's win over Francis Marion.