GREENWOOD – The Lander Bearcats got big baskets down the stretch from Amani Melendez (Woodbridge, Va.) and Abby Carter (Geneva, Ohio) as well as a big game from WyKira Johnson-Kelly (Franklinville, N.J.) as they opened 2024 with a 63-59 Peach Belt Conference victory over USC Aiken Wednesday night at Horne Arena.
 
Lander improved to 8-3 overall, 1-0 in the Peach Belt. The Pacers fell to 4-7, 0-1.
 
Melendez hit a game-tying 3-pointer with two minutes left, Carter scored to put the Bearcats on top with one minute to go, and Johnson-Kelly clinched the victory with a steal and two free throws in the final 10 seconds.
 
Johnson-Kelly paced Lander in four categories. She had 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. Johnson-Kelly made 10 of 12 free throws.
 
Quadaija Langley (Travelers Rest, S.C.) added 13 points for the Bearcats. Tanyia Gordon (Plant City, Fla.) contributed eight points and two blocked shots for the Blue and Gold. Alicia Burgos (Milwaukee, Wisc.) led Lander with three blocked shots.
 
Rhiannon Saller paced USC Aiken with 14 points and six rebounds. Hailey Unger scored 12 points for the Pacers while Marta Rivera added 10 points and six boards. Paris Webster had five assists for USC Aiken.
 
The Bearcats made only three of their first 14 shots from the floor and trailed 10-6 late in the first quarter. But Johnson-Kelly hit Lander's first two free-throw attempts with 1:08 left and nailed a 3-pointer on LU's next possession, giving the hosts an 11-10 lead going into the second period.
 
Rivera put the Pacers back on top, 16-14, with eight minutes left in the half. USC Aiken was 8-for-12 from the floor (75 percent) after Rivera's make.
 
The Bearcats were off to a 4-for-19 start from the floor (21 percent) including one for 10 from behind the arc before Gordon's mid-range jumper pulled them within 18-16 with 5:31 until halftime.
 
Gordon's basket ignited a run where Lander made five of six shots including a pair of 3-pointers.
 
Jakiyah Parker's (Augusta, Ga.) trey from the left side tied the game at 20-apiece at the 3:22 mark. Aaliyah Bell's (Pooler, Ga.) 3-pointer from the same spot gave the Blue and Gold a 23-20 advantage with 2:37 left.
 
Gordon's pull-up jumper from near the free-throw line and Johnson-Kelly's driving layup helped the Bearcats take a 27-25 lead into halftime.
 
Langley opened the second half with a 3-pointer, giving Lander a 30-25 lead. But Saller's three-point play ignited a 6-0 run that put USC Aiken back on top 31-30.
 
The back-and-forth scoring continued as Cory Santoro's (Bellevue, Ohio) trey gave the Bearcats a 33-31 advantage and then Melendez's mid-range jumper put the hosts back on top 37-35 with 4:21 left in the third.
 
Johnson-Kelly's driving layup increased Lander's lead to 40-35 and she added two free throws for a 44-38 advantage at the two-minute mark.
 
Jentri Worley's 3-pointer from the top of the key and Unger's layup cut USC Aiken's deficit to 44-43 with one minute to go. But Johnson-Kelly made two free throws while Langley added another as the Bearcats led 47-43 going into the final quarter.
 
Johnson-Kelly's driving layup, Burgos's put-back and Langley's layup kept Lander in front. But Saller's two buckets and a free throw kept the Pacers within striking distance at 53-50 at the seven-minute mark.
 
Unger's 3-pointer pulled USC Aiken within 54-53 just inside five minutes to go.
 
Saller made two free throws, giving the Pacers a 55-54 lead with 3:44 left.
 
Gordon's transition layup off a long pass from Johnson-Kelly put the Bearcats back on top, 56-55. But Unger and Worley scored to push USC Aiken back in the lead 59-56 at the two-minute mark.
 
Melendez's 3-pointer from the left corner enabled Lander to tie the game at 59-all with 1:55 left. After the Pacers were called for a shot clock violation, the Bearcats regained the lead at 61-59 on Carter's driving baseline floater with 57 seconds to go.
 
Saller's fade-away shot in the lane over two defenders bounced off the rim with 33 seconds to go with Melendez grabbing the defensive board for Lander.
 
The Pacers had to foul three times in order to put the Blue and Gold on the free-throw line. Then Johnson-Kelly missed two of two free throws, giving USC Aiken another chance with 16 seconds left.
 
Johnson-Kelly made up for the misses. The Pacers got the ball inside to Saller, who lost the ball into the hands of Johnson-Kelly with 10 seconds to go. Johnson-Kelly was fouled and made both free throws this time with six seconds left to clinch the victory.