GREENWOOD – Anderson University ended Lander's seven-game winning streak, outscoring the Bearcats 14-4 over the final 2:18 in a 70-60 non-conference victory Tuesday afternoon at Horne Arena.
Lander fell to 7-3 on the season. The Trojans improved to 9-3. This game featured 10 ties and 10 lead changes.
Tanyia Gordon paced the Bearcats with 15 points while also grabbing eight rebounds.
WyKira Johnson-Kelly added 14 points while leading Lander with nine rebounds and three steals.
Quadaija Langley scored 11 points for the Bearcats while
Alicia Burgos had eight rebounds and two blocked shots for the Blue and Gold.
Lander transfer Zamiya Passmore led all scorers with 23 points. The senior Trojan scored 10 of the team's final 14 points. She also hit 10 of 11 free throws including six of six in the final minute while also dishing out five assists.
The last time these two teams met, Passmore led Lander to a 77-70 victory over Anderson on Nov. 19, 2019, with 28 points as a Bearcat freshman.
Brittney Stafford added 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Trojans Tuesday. Nelliah Wilson added a double-double with 13 points and 15 boards for Anderson.
Lander missed nine of its first 10 shots from the floor and committed five turnovers, falling behind 8-2. But the Bearcats clawed back, pulling within 10-9 on Gordon's 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Lander took its first lead at 13-12 with 1:37 left in the opening quarter when Langley knifed inside for a layup.
Jakiyah Parker hit a 3-pointer from the left corner after a pair of Bearcat offensive rebounds, and then Gordon hit a jumper from near the free-throw line giving Lander an 18-14 lead going into the second period.
Cory Santoro's jumper from just inside the 3-point arc gave the Bearcats a 20-14 advantage with 8:15 left in the half, capping an 18-6 run.
Stafford made 3-pointers which put Anderson back on top 22-20 and again at 25-22. The Trojan lead would grow to 29-24.
The Bearcats made only three of 17 shots in the second quarter and trailed 29-26 at halftime.
Passmore gave Anderson a 32-26 lead early in the third quarter with a 3-pointer. But Lander tied the game at 34-all with six unanswered points, including two free throws apiece by Johnson-Kelly and Langley, and Gordon's game-tying layup off a turnover.
The Bearcats took their first lead of the second half on Gordon's jumper, making it 36-34 with 5:55 left in the third quarter. Santoro's second basket of the quarter put Lander on top 38-36.
The back-and-forth nature of the game continued as Langley's floater high off the glass as the shot clock was about to expire gave the Bearcats a 40-39 lead and
Abby Carter's underhanded hook shot put the Blue and Gold up 43-42 with 2:07 left in the third.
Lander led 47-45 going into the final quarter.
Passmore's two free throws knotted the game for the Trojans at 49-apiece with 8:38 left, the eighth tie of the afternoon.
Johnson-Kelly's steal and layup broke the tie and Parker's 3-pointer gave the Bearcats a 54-49 advantage with 7:21 to go.
Anderson's Martyna Radzicka made a 3-pointer from the left corner to tie the game at 54-apiece with 4:02 left. Wilson's put-back gave the Trojans a 56-54 lead with 3:15 to go.
Gordon's mid-range jumper pulled Lander back into a 56-all tie with 2:51 left.
But Passmore's driving shot off the glass gave Anderson the lead back at the 2:18 mark and then Stafford's back-court steal and layup made it 60-56 with 2:12 to go.
Johnson-Kelly's driving layup brought the Bearcats back within two. But Passmore answered with another drive for a layup and would add six of six free throws in the final minute.
With the non-conference slate wrapped up, the Lander Women's Basketball team will return to action after the new year to open their Peach Belt slate against USC Aiken on January 3rd. That game is scheduled for a 5:30 PM tip-off inside Horne Arena.
