GREENWOOD – The No. 2-ranked and top-seeded Lander women's basketball team rallied from a late nine-point deficit and had a chance to tie at the end of regulation, but the shot would not fall as the Bearcats suffered their first loss of the season 72-70 to No. 6-ranked North Georgia Saturday afternoon in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship game at Horne Arena.

Lander, which posted the program's first-ever unbeaten regular season, enters the NCAA Division II National Tournament with a record of 17-1.

The Nighthawks, the second seed in the PBC Tournament, are also 17-1.

The two regional heavyweights enter the Big Dance only having lost to each other at this point of the season.

Lander fell short despite a big game by junior center Miriam Recarte, who scored 23 points on nine of 13 shooting from the floor. The PBC Defensive Player of the Year and second-team All-Peach Belt selection added seven rebounds and blocked her 52nd shot of the season.

Peach Belt Player of the Year Makaila Cange added 17 points, a team-high eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocked shots for the Bearcats.

All-Conference Zamiya Passmore added 14 points and seven assists for Lander. Sarah Crews contributed nine points while leading the Blue and Gold with eight assists.

North Georgia rallied from a 14-point deficit early in the second quarter by getting hot from behind the arc, having hit 13 of 20 after making their first two attempts of the final period. The Nighthawks would finish 14 of 25 (56 percent) from 3-point range.

Kara Groover led the way for North Georgia, scoring 18 points including six of nine shooting from 3-point range.

Abbie Franklin added 14 points and six assists for the Nighthawks. Julianne Sutton contribted 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals for North Georgia. Abby Hubert added 13 points for the visitors.

The first seven shots of the game were all made as the teams battled to an early 8-all tie. But Lander went on a 9-0 run, taking a 17-8 lead with 3:16 left in the opening quarter after layups by Cange and Jakiyah Parker, a 3-pointer from the top of the arc by Cange, and another Cange layup.

Passmore's baseline jumper with 47 seconds left gave the Bearcats a 23-13 lead going into the second period. Lander had assists on 10 of those 11 made baskets in the opening quarter with Crews dishing out six assists and Passmore four. North Georgia missed nine of their last 10 shots in the first period.

Recarte flipped a back-door pass to Crews, who hit an open jumper giving the Bearcats their biggest lead of the game at 27-13 lead in the opening minute of the second quarter.

Lacie McCoy made two 3s while Sutton and Caroline Martin each added one as the Nighthawks got back in the game, pulling within 32-27 on Hubert's two free throws with 4:46 to go in the half.

Parker's transition basket off a bounce pass from Passmore gave the Blue and Gold a 39-29 advantage with 2:16 left.

Hubert's layup in the final seconds pulled North Georgia within 41-35 at the break.

Lander was 17 for 30 (57 percent) from the floor in the first half while the Nighthawks hit seven of 12 from behind the arc (58 percent).

Martin's three-point play and Hubert's basket pulled North Georgia within 42-40 in the opening two minutes of the second half as the visitors were on a 27-15 run to that point.

Recarte's open trey from the left corner gave the Bearcats a 45-40 lead. But Franklin hit two 3s as the Nighthawks took a 46-45 advantage with 6:35 left in the third, their first lead since it was 6-4.

Recarte twice put Lander back in the lead and North Georgia went back in front after each of her baskets. Cange's two free throws gave the Blue and Gold a 52-51 lead with 4:46 to go.

Groover got an offensive rebound, dribbled back outside and around and then hit a 3 from the top of the key to give the Nighthawks a 54-52 advantage as they were now 11 for 16 (69 percent) from behind the arc.

North Georgia twice went up by four and led 58-56 going into the final quarter.

Recarte's basket inside tied it in the first minute of the final period. But North Georgia's Groover and Franklin each hit treys, giving the visitors a 64-60 advantage at the 8:37 mark. They would not trail again.

After almost four scoreless minutes, Groover hit a 3 from the top of the key increasing the Nighthawk lead to 67-60 with 4:55 left. It was their last 3 of the day.

Hubert's layup pushed North Georgia's advantage to nine. But Recarte's three-point play pulled the Bearcats within six just inside the four-minute mark.

After a defensive stand, Lander cut its deficit to 69-65 on another Recarte inside basket with 3:09 to go.

Franklin's driving layup gave North Georgia a 71-65 lead with 1:25 left.

The Bearcats, in desperate need of a basket, got a big one when Passmore nailed a 3 from the left side cutting their deficit to 71-68 with one minute to go.

The Nighthawks let the shot clock wind down before Franklin attempted a 3. She missed, Recarte got the defensive rebound, and Passmore made a floater in the lane pulling Lander within 71-70 with 14 seconds left.

Franklin made one of two free throws as North Georgia led 72-70 with eight seconds left. 

Crews inbounded the ball from the sideline back to her right to Passmore, who grabbed it on the other side of mid-court, shed her defender, dribbled through the middle straight toward the goal. She launched a floater a couple steps from the basket off the backboard which bounced off the right side of the rim and into the arms of a Nighthawk defender as the buzzer sounded.

Cange, Passmore and Recarte made the All-PBC Tournament for Lander while Martin and McCoy joined them from North Georgia. Groover was named Tournament MVP.

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