GREENWOOD, S.C. - Makaila Cange scored 22 points while Zamiya Passmore added 18 as the No. 10-ranked Lander Bearcats defeated Peach Belt Conference rival Clayton State 79-68 Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena.

Lander extended its winning streak to 12 over the Lakers in their all-time series. The Bearcats improved to 12-2 on the season, including 4-1 in the Peach Belt.

Clayton State fell to 6-6, 0-4.

Cange, who broke the school record for points in a game (43) and made field goals (16) on Wednesday night, led the way again for Lander. Cange made 8-for-10 from the field and 6-of-7 free throws Saturday while grabbing 14 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season.

Passmore led the Bearcats with eight assists and four steals while grabbing seven rebounds.

Vashae Rideout added 11 points for Lander while Miriam Recarte scored 10 points and pulled down nine rebounds, all on the defensive end. Aniaya Jester added 10 points and four assists for the Bearcats.

Raven Riley paced Clayton State with 15 points and nine rebounds, Audrey McElhaney added 14 points and Devyne Turner 10 points.

Lander was victorious despite making only 1-of-16 shots from behind the 3-point line (6 percent). The good news was the Bearcats made 29-of-50 inside the arc (58 percent) as they hit 30-of-66 (46 percent) overall.

The Lakers made 22-of-67 from the floor (35 percent).

Cange scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds, Rideout had five points including the team's only 3-pointer of the game, and Sarah Crews contributed three assists as Lander led 27-11 after one quarter.

After being down 18 early in the second period, Clayton State pulled within 31-21 with 5:25 left in the half on Riley's layup. The Bearcats twice stretched their advantage back to 14 before settling for a 39-27 lead at the intermission.

Riley's back-door layup cut the Laker deficit to 39-31 with 8:35 left in the third quarter. Cange and Rideout each scored twice, Passmore made a layup, and Jester added two free throws during a 12-4 run which extended Lander's lead to 51-35.

Jester hit a mid-range jumper with 1:55 left in the third, giving the Blue and Gold a 55-40 lead. The Bearcats led 59-51 going into the final quarter.

Jester's offensive put-back increased Lander's advantage to 69-53 with 6:06 to go. Turner's long jumper pulled Clayton State within 69-59 inside the five-minute mark.

Recarte's mid-range jumper gave the Bearcats a 75-63 lead with three minutes left. 

Timi'a Swanson's two free throws closed the Lakers within 77-68 with 46 seconds to go. But Jester's two free throws with 17 seconds left put the lead back in double figures and closed the scoring. Read Full Article