GREENWOOD - The No. 2-ranked Lander women's basketball team pulled away late behind Zamiya Passmore's 21 second-half points and Makaila Cange's 10th double-double of the season, staying undefeated with a 70-57 Peach Belt Conference victory over Augusta Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena.

The Bearcats, who led by only four points with under three minutes left, improved to 14-0 overall and 12-0 in the PBC.

Lander came into Saturday's game one of only seven unbeaten teams out of 216 Division II programs in the country. The Bearcats have two regular-season games left.

The Jaguars fell to 5-6 overall, 4-3 in the league.

Lander evened the all-time series with Augusta at 34 wins apiece, including 15 consecutive victories over the Jaguars.

The all-time leader in Peach Belt women's basketball conference victories as of Wednesday night, Lander coach Kevin Pederson improved to 208-93 in league games.

Cange has 10 double-doubles in 14 games this season. She led the Bearcats with 23 points and 18 rebounds. The sophomore made six of 10 shots and is shooting 66 percent from the floor this season to lead the Peach Belt. Her 18 rebounds were three shy of a career high.

Passmore scored all 21 of her points in the second half for Lander. The sophomore who leads the PBC in scoring average tallied nine points in the third quarter and 12 in the fourth, including 10 in the last 3:11 of the game.

Jakiyah Parker scored a career-high 10 points for the Bearcats. Sarah Crews added nine points for Lander.

Zairya West led Augusta with 17 points while Kennedi Manning added a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds while also blocking three shots. Kiera Howard led the visitors with six assists.

The Bearcats missed their first five shots from the floor and trailed 6-1. Lander erased the deficit behind Cange's 3-for-3 shooting in the opening period. The rest of the team had been 0 for 9 until Crews hit a jumper in the lane with 48 seconds left, helping the Blue and Gold to an 11-8 lead after one quarter.

But after Miriam Recarte made a 3 to give the Bearcats a 14-10 advantage, the team went cold. Augusta scored 10 unanswered points capped by Asia Harrison's trey, taking a 20-14 lead inside the five-minute mark.

At one point late in the second quarter, Lander was just 5 for 25 from the floor. But Parker's 3 and Cange's layup brought the Blue and Gold closer and then Natalia Crooke hit a trey with eight seconds left to give the Bearcats a 26-25 lead at the break.

Passmore and Cange opened the second half with baskets, giving Lander a 30-25 advantage. But West scored seven unanswered points for the Jaguars on a pair of free throws, a 3-pointer, and a long jumper as the visitors regained the lead 32-30 at the seven-minute mark.

The Bearcats scored the game's next 10 points to take a 40-32 lead. Cange drove to the basket for a game-tying layup, Passmore made three of four free throws, Parker took a long pass from Crews and hit a layup, and Parker added a 3 from the left corner. Lander would not trail again, but it would get closer several times.

Augusta used a 6-0 run to pull within 40-38 on a West jumper with 2:35 left in the third.

Passmore made a pair of layups and Crews scored off a long pass from Passmore as Lander had its first double-digit lead at 48-38 with 38 seconds left in the third. The Bearcats were up 48-40 going into the final period.

November Morton's 3 cut Augusta's deficit to 52-47 with 7:31 to go.

Passmore's driving basket in the paint bumped Lander's lead back to nine, 56-47, at the 6:27 mark.

Manning made one of two free throws, pulling the Jaguars within 57-53 with 4:34 left. After a Bearcat shot clock violation, Augusta had a chance to pull within a possession but failed to score.

Passmore's free throws pushed Lander's lead to 59-53. But West's driving layup cut the visitor deficit back to four with just 2:47 to go.

Cange made two free throws, Passmore drew an offensive foul on the other end, and Passmore made a fast-break layup including a spin move in the lane to give the Bearcats some breathing room at 63-55 with 2:06 left.

Passmore answered a Jaguars basket with another driving layup, giving Lander a 65-57 advantage with 1:02 to go.

Sydney Wyatt grabbed a defensive rebound for the Blue and Gold, was immediately fouled and added a free throw. Passmore finished the game off with four of four free throws as the final margin of 13 points would be their biggest lead of the game.

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