MORROW, Ga. - Sophomore guard, Quadaija Langley (Travelers Rest, S.C.), led all scorers with a career-high 27 points as the Lander Women's Basketball team came away with a 78-74 double-overtime victory over the Clayton State Lakers on Saturday afternoon at The Loch.
The Bearcats improve to 11-3 overall and a perfect 4-0 in PBC play while the Lakers fell to 3-10 and 1-3 in PBC play.
The game consisted of 15 lead changes and 15 times where the score was tied.
Along with Langley's 27-point performance, WyKira Johnson-Kelly (Franklinville, N.J.) scored 15 points while leading the team in rebounds with seven and steals with three. Cory Santoro (Bellevue, Ohio) added 14 and Tanyia Gordon (Plant City, Fla.) added 13 of her own.
The Bearcats started the game off cold as they went over three minutes without a field goal to open the game before Johnson-Kelly hit a layup to make it 5-4 but the Lakers would keep Lander at arm's length throughout the quarter and led 13-9 after ten minutes.
Langley started to come alive in the second quarter as she scored 10 of Lander's 15 points in the quarter, including two straight three-pointers to tie the game at 20. She then hit two pairs of free throws to give Lander a two-point lead but Clayton State hit a shot at the buzzer to give the hosts a one-point lead again at the break.
The third quarter was a nip-and-tug affair as neither team could really establish a lead beyond two-possessions. Lander held a four-point lead late aided by a three from Langley and a layup from Gordon but the Lakers tied the game up at 38 going into the final regulation frame.
Clayton State jumped out to a four-point lead but buckets from Ashley Tucker (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Aaliyah Bell (Pooler, Ga.) plus a pair of free throws from Gordon flipped the scoreboard in Lander's favor at 47-42.
The Lakers tied the game at 47 with 3:25 left but Langley hit a three to give Lander the lead back at 50-47 but a quick 4-0 run from the hosts gave them a one-point lead with under a minute left.
Johnson-Kelly was fouled and hit the two corresponding free throws to flip the one-point advantage in Lander's favor. However, Clayton State would get an offensive rebound and get a foul on the second chance shot. Fortunatley, the Lakers only made one of two to tie the game giving Lander a chance to win the game once again.
On the ensuing possession, Johnson-Kelly found a lane and put up a layup that bounced on the inside of the front of the rim and out which kept the game tied.
Santoro gave Lander a early three-point lead in overtime; she and Langley each had nine points in the two overtime periods. However, the Lakers responded back by chipping away and tying the game at 59 with 2:26 left.
The Lakers took a two-point lead with a pair of free throws but Santoro flipped the scoreboard right back in the Bearcats favor with another trey.
The Lakers responded right back with four straight points to put Lander down two on the final possession. On that possession, Johnson-Kelly found Alicia Burgos (Milwaukee, Wisc.) for her first basket of the game to tie the game at 65 and send it to a second overtime.
The second overtime period saw 18 free throw attempts between the two teams after only nine in the first overtime. But after a Tanyia Gordon jumper gave Lander a 70-69 lead with 2:20 to go, the Bearcats closed the game making eight straight free throws to close out the win.
Lander returns home to Horne Arena this week as they welcome the North Georgia Nighthawks to Greenwood on Wednesday before hosting the Bobcats of Georgia College and State University on Saturday.
