DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The No. 5-ranked and second-seeded Lander women's basketball team launched itself into elite national company Monday night, pulling away from No. 3-ranked and top-seeded North Georgia 67-48 in the NCAA South Regional championship game Monday night at the Convocation Center on the campus of North Georgia.

The Bearcats have advanced to the NCAA Division II National Tournament Elite Eight for the second time in program history, having last advanced to the quarterfinals in 2012.

The Elite Eight will be played March 23-26 in Columbus, Ohio.

Lander outscored the Nighthawks 32-14 in the last 17-plus minutes of the game, improving to 19-1 on the season.

North Georgia ended its season at 18-2, with both losses coming to Lander. They handed the Blue and Gold its only defeat of the season 72-70 in the PBC Tournament championship game just nine days earlier after falling to LU in overtime earlier this season.

The Bearcats avenged the PBC Tournament loss with a familiar combination as Zamiya Passmore, Makaila Cange and Miriam Recarte led the way.

The monster trio which came into the Regional final averaging 48.8 points per game scored 53.

Passmore led the Peach Belt Conference in points and assists and paced Lander again Monday, scoring 22 points and dishing out seven assists. For her efforts, she was named South Regional MVP.

Cange had yet another double-double for the Bearcats with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Ranked second in the nation in field goal percentage at 65.6 percent coming into the game, the PBC Player of the Year made eight of 11 shots. It was her 15th double-double in 20 games this season.

Recarte also added a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards while also leading Lander with five blocked shots and two steals.

The Bearcats also had key production from Sarah Crews who had six rebounds while she, Quin'De'Ja Hamilton and Amiaya Melvins each scored a pair of baskets off the bench.

Julianne Sutton paced North Georgia with 13 points.

The Bearcats held North Georgia to 31 percent shooting (17 of 55) and had a 45-35 rebounding edge. North Georgia was 2 for 21 from 3-point range (9 percent) while the Blue and Gold was 7 of 18 from behind the arc (39 percent).

Cange banked in a 3 from the top of the key to give Lander a 5-2 lead less than two minutes into the game. The Nighthawks went on a 12-3 run, only allowing another Cange 3, to build a 14-8 advantage with 4:09 left in the first quarter.

There were only two more points scored in the final four-plus minutes of the opening period, a driving layup by Passmore as the Bearcats trailed 14-10 going into the second quarter.

The Blue and Gold got hot behind the arc early in the second period. After Recarte's two free throws pulled the Bearcats within 14-12, Crews gave them a 15-14 lead with a 3 from the left side.

After Caroline Martin made a pair of free throws giving North Georgia an 18-15 advantage, Hamilton tied it for Lander with a trey from the left wing. The Bearcats took the lead, 21-18, with 7:14 left in the half when Passmore made a between-the-legs short backwards pass to Recarte, who hit an open 3 from the top of the key. Lander would not trail again.

Passmore drained a 3 from the top of the arc as the shot clock was expiring and Recarte added a bucket to complete an 11-0 Bearcats run making it 26-18 near the six-minute mark.

The Nighthawks went on a 10-2 run to tie the game at 28.

Passmore scored the final five points of the half, staking Lander to a 33-28 halftime lead. She dribbled through traffic and hit a floater in the lane with 42 seconds left, and waited as a defender stepped back from her and promptly drained a 3 at the buzzer.

Sutton's layup with 7:54 left in the third quarter pulled the Nighthawks within 35-34. Then the Bearcats went on a big 8-0 run on Recarte's layup, Passmore's two free throws, another Recarte basket and Cange's layup for a 43-34 advantage with 3:43 to go in the third. It was just a sign of things to come.

North Georgia broke the run but Lander responded with baskets from Passmore, Melvins and Hamilton for a 49-36 lead.

The Bearcats took a 49-38 advantage going into the final quarter.

Crews broke toward the basket and made a layup off a nice anticipation timing pass from Passmore, giving Lander a 51-40 lead in the opening minute of the final quarter.

The Blue and Gold continued to expand on its lead on Passmore's mid-range jumper and a driving layup by Melvins for a 55-40 lead at the seven-minute mark.

Abbie Franklin's 3 cut North Georgia's deficit to 55-45 with 5:55 to go.

But Passmore responded with an acrobatic made shot in the lane as she was falling to the floor and added a driving layup, expanding the Blue and Gold's lead to 59-45 at the five-minute mark.

The lead grew to 65-47 on Recarte's basket and Cange's two buckets inside. Passmore capped Lander's game-ending scoring run of 12-3 with a pair of free throws with a minute to go.

After the game, the Bearcats enjoyed the tradition of cutting down the nets and now they can make final travel plans to Columbus.

#cLawsUp | @LanderWBB