COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Lander women's basketball team became the first in school history to reach the Final Four as the No. 2-seeded Bearcats pulled away from No. 7-seeded Azusa Pacific 88-76 Tuesday afternoon in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Zamiya Passmore scored a Lander NCAA Tournament record 38 points while Makaila Cange and Amiaya Melvins added monster double-doubles.

The Lander women reached the Elite Eight in 2012 as did the men in 1999. But neither made this next step accomplished by the Bearcats Tuesday.

Lander improved to 20-1 on the season and will face No. 3-seeded Drury (Mo.) in the national semifinals Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Columbus. Drury (23-1) rallied past No. 6-seeded Charleston, W.Va., 74-66 earlier Tuesday afternoon.

Head coach Kevin Pederson has now led the Bearcats to 20-win seasons 12 times in his 16 years at the helm.

The Cougars ended their season at 12-5.

Passmore made 15 of 22 shots from the floor and broke the school record for most points in an NCAA Tournament game previously held by Stephanie Ponds, who tallied 31 versus Tusculum on March 14, 2008.

The sophomore guard who along with Cange was named to the All-American team earlier in the day also paced Lander with five assists.

Cange scored 26 points on eight of 10 shooting from the floor and added 18 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards for the Bearcats. The sophomore hit eight of 10 free throws. Cange is the only underclassmen in Division II with 16 double-doubles this season.

Melvins made her first start since February and contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds, including nine off the offensive glass.

Lander dominated the boards, out-rebounding Azusa Pacific 56-25. The Bearcats grabbed 28 offensive rebounds.

In their first-ever meeting against a school from California, the Bearcats got off to a slow start. They trailed 18-10 late in the first quarter before closing the half on a 26-11 run.

Azusa Pacific kept the game close, but Lander put the game away with 29 points in the final quarter, including making their last six shots.

Kayla Shaw paced the Cougars with 19 points, Laura Pranger scored 16 points, and Paige Uyehara and Kelly Heimburger added 12 points apiece. Alex Lowden led Azusa Pacific with nine rebounds and eight assists.

Passmore scored the game's first bucket on a tear drop in the lane. But the Bearcats would miss their next eight shots until Cange's layup off a transition pass from Passmore pulled Lander within 10-6.

Jane Ersepke hit a 3, extending the Cougars' lead to 18-10 inside the two-minute mark.

The Blue and Gold ended the opening quarter on a 7-0 run to pull within 18-17. Passmore (nine) and Cange (seven) combined for 16 of Lander's 17 points in the period, with Melvins hitting a free throw with one tenth of a second left for the other point.

The Bearcats were trailing in part because they made only three of 10 free throw attempts in the first quarter.

Cange's basket in the paint off a pass from Passmore completed a 9-0 Lander run, putting the Bearcats back in front 19-18 in the first minute of the second quarter.

Passmore's short floater over two defenders on the right side tied it at 27-all with 5:25 left in the half. Then Cange grabbed a one-handed rebound off a teammate's missed 3-point attempt and laid it in, giving Lander a 29-27 advantage with 3:40 to go.

Passmore made another floater in the lane, Melvins swished two free throws, and Passmore hit another jumper and added a free throw as the Bearcats completed a crucial 11-0 run.

Azusa Pacific made a layup at the buzzer - its first points in more than six minutes - as Lander led 36-29 at the intermission.

Passmore (nine of 13) and Cange (five of six) were a combined 14 of 19 from the floor in the first half for the Bearcats as Passmore led the way with 21 points. Lander had a decisive 29-13 advantage on the boards at halftime.

The Bearcats were only seven of 18 from the free throw line and one of nine behind the 3-point arc but still led by seven at the break.

Passmore made a driving shot off the glass and Cange hit four of four free throws as the Blue and Gold increased its lead to 42-33 in the opening two minutes of the second half.

The Bearcats had attempted 22 free throws before Azusa Pacific went to the line for the first time as Heimburger's two free throws cut the Cougar deficit to seven. Lowden's trey pulled Azusa Pacific within 44-38 with seven-plus minutes left in the third.

Shaw's 3-pointer and Heimburger's three-point play tied the game at 44-all with 4:47 to go.

After Azusa Pacific took a two-point lead, Passmore drove through three defenders, laid it in and completed a three-point play to give Lander a 47-46 advantage inside the four-minute mark.

The Bearcats fell back behind 49-47 but responded with a big 10-0 run to take the lead for good. Cange scored in the paint, Passmore and Recarte each hit a pair of free throws, Melvins scored on a put-back, and Melvins added two free throws for a 57-49 lead inside two minutes to go in the third.

Lander led 59-53 going into the final quarter.

Azusa Pacific opened the fourth quarter with a basket. But Sarah Crews hit only Lander's second three of the day, swishing one from the top of the key giving the Blue and Gold a 62-55 advantage.

Passmore bounced a backwards pass between her legs to Miriam Recarte for an open 3 as the Bearcats were up 72-63 just inside six minutes to go, repeating a play the duo accomplished in the South Region championship game victory last week at North Georgia.

Shaw's driving basket pulled the Cougars within 72-67 with 4:30 left. But Passmore kept coming up big when the Bearcats needed her most. She drove the baseline for a layup off Lander's 27th offensive rebound of the game extending the lead to 74-67 just inside the four-minute mark. Her driving layup made it 76-69 with 3:27 left.

Cange's layup off an interior pass from Recarte upped the Blue and Gold's advantage to 80-71 with 1:39 to go. Uyehara's 3 pulled Azusa Pacific within 80-74 with 1:29 left, giving the Cougars a little bit of life.

But Lander broke the full-court press and aggressively got the ball to Melvins for a layup, extending Lander's lead to eight. Crews then grabbed a defensive rebound, was fouled and added two free throws as the Bearcats had their biggest lead of the game at 84-74 with a minute to go.

Melvins scored on another fast break and after Lander forced a five-second violation, Passmore added yet another basket to complete a record scoring day.

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