GREENWOOD – Tanyia Gordon (Plant City, Fla.) scored 24 points as the Lander Bearcats closed the game with a 27-8 run, rallying past Peach Belt Conference foe Georgia College and State University 68-63 for their sixth consecutive victory Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena.
Lander improved to 13-3 overall, 6-0 in the Peach Belt. The Bearcats entered Saturday tied for first place in the PBC with Augusta.
The Bobcats, who led this game 55-41 late in the third quarter, fell to 9-7 overall and 3-3 in the league. Georgia College was shooting 60 percent through three quarters.
Gordon scored 24 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the floor, while also leading Lander with nine rebounds and five steals. She also blocked two shots.
WyKira Johnson-Kelly (Franklinville, N.J.) had an off day shooting, making only four of 20 shots. But she scored seven points in the final two minutes to help complete the Bearcat rally. She made seven of eight free throws and finished with 16 points.
Quadaija Langley (Travelers Rest, S.C.) scored 10 points for Lander, making four of five shots from the floor.
Jakiyah Parker (Augusta, Ga.) starred off the bench for the Bearcats, scoring seven points and grabbing five rebounds in 16 minutes of action. Her biggest plays included jumping out of bounds to save a rebound leading to points during the big rally and also her tough defense on a 3-point shot late in the game.
Alicia Burgos (Milwaukee, Wisc.) contributed six points and three blocked shots for Lander.
Hannah Cail paced Georgia College with 16 points, making four of six attempts from behind the 3-point arc. Ashyia Willis added 13 points for the Bobcats while Jada Warren paced the team with nine rebounds.
The teams came out firing, each scoring seven points in the first two minutes. Burgos hit a jumper from behind the free-throw line, Johnson-Kelly made a 3-pointer from the left wing, and Gordon converted a driving layup for Lander.
The Bobcats went on an 8-0 run during the middle of the opening quarter and led 21-13 going into the second period.
Cail's second 3-pointer gave Georgia College its first double-digit lead at 26-15 with 7:39 left in the half.
Gordon swished a mid-range jumper and converted a steal into two more points, then Langley made a 3-pointer cutting the Bearcat deficit to 33-27 just inside the four-minute mark.
The Bobcats led 38-31 at halftime after making 15 of 22 shots from the floor (68 percent). Gordon kept Lander in the game with 15 points, five steals and two blocked shots in the opening half.
Cory Santoro (Bellevue, Ohio) and Gordon made 3-pointers from the left wing during a 6-1 Bearcat run which pulled the hosts within 43-39 with just under five minutes left in the third quarter.
But Georgia College responded with a 9-0 run started by Alexa Geary's trey as their lead grew to 52-39. A Cail 3-pointer gave the Bobcats their largest lead of the game at 14 points, 55-41, with 2:29 to go.
Gordon tipped in her own miss for the final points of the third quarter as Lander trailed 56-46 going into the fourth.
The Bearcats got back within single digits at 56-48 in the opening seconds of the final quarter when Parker saved a ball from going out of bounds, knocking the loose ball to Johnson-Kelly who found Burgos open for a layup.
Lander's rally continued as Parker banked a jump shot and Langley made a 3-pointer from the left corner, pulling the Blue and Gold within 56-53 with eight minutes left.
Gordon's mid-range jumper cut the Bearcat deficit to 56-55, completing an 11-0 run.
Langley found Ashley Tucker (Buffalo, N.Y.) open for a layup as Lander pulled within 58-57 with 4:55 to go.
After missing three shots that could have put the Bearcats in the lead, they finally moved out in front 59-58 with 1:51 left on a pair of Johnson-Kelly free throws. It was their first lead since 9-7 with six minutes left in the first quarter.
Johnson-Kelly's steal and layup increased Lander's advantage to 61-58 with 1:35 to go.
Gordon's tough layup through contact with four seconds left on the shot clock gave the Bearcats a five-point lead, 63-58, with 58 seconds left. The basket capped a 22-3 run.
The Bobcats finally had a response as Deshaun Jackson made a put-back to pull them within 63-60 with 40 seconds left. Georgia College then stole an inbounds pass but a well-defended Willis missed a game-tying 3-point attempt with 20 seconds to go.
Parker forced the miss shot, grabbed the defensive rebound, was fouled, and made two free throws giving Lander a 65-60 lead with 20 seconds left.
Cail's fourth 3-pointer of the game with 18 seconds to go pulled the Bobcats with 65-63.
Johnson-Kelly made one of two free throws as Lander led 66-63 with 15 seconds left.
Cail missed a 3-pointer high off the glass as Gordon secured the defensive rebound with six seconds to go. Johnson-Kelly clinched the victory with two free throws.
The Bearcats hit the road for a pair of games next week as they travel to Augusta for a battle for first place in the conference on Wednesday before traveling to Columbus State on Saturday.
