GREENWOOD – The Lander Bearcats failed to hold a double-digit going into the fourth quarter and lost to Peach Belt Conference rival Clayton State 86-84 in overtime Saturday afternoon during Homecoming at Horne Arena.
Lander fell to 15-7 overall and 8-4 in the PBC. The Bearcats are now in a tie for third place in the league with Columbus State, two games behind Georgia Southwestern and Augusta which are both 10-2.
The Lakers improved to 8-13 overall, 6-6 in the Peach Belt.
WyKira Johnson-Kelly (Franklinville, N.J.) led all scorers with 29 points while pacing Lander with eight assists. Johnson-Kelly made 11 of 22 shots from the floor.
Quadaija Langley (Travelers Rest, S.C.) scored 15 points for the Bearcats while Amani Melendez (Woodbridge, Va.) made three 3-pointers and scored 12 points.
Cory Santoro (Bellevue, Ohio) also hit three 3-pointers for Lander, finishing with nine points. Tanyia Gordon (Plant City, Fla.) added eight points while leading the Bearcats with six rebounds.
Clayton State out-rebounded Lander 50-25 and grabbed 19 offensive rebounds.
Jadah White led the Lakers with 15 points, Nina Blade scored 14, and Tamaria White 12. Aaliyah Byrd posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards.
Melendez made a pair of 3-pointers, Langley and Santoro hit one trey apiece, and Johnson-Kelly weaved through defenders and converted a layup into a three-point play as the Bearcats led 23-19 after one quarter.
Johnson-Kelly drove for a pair of layups and on her next drive toward the basket she passed to Alicia Burgos (Milwaukee, Wisc.) for another layup, giving Lander a 35-27 advantage with 3:45 left in the opening half.
Johnson-Kelly kept scoring, pulling up and making a floater and following it up with a swish from behind the free-throw line as the Bearcats were up 39-31 with 1:42 to go.
Melendez made her third 3-pointer out of as many attempts, was fouled, and converted a rare four-point play as the Bearcat advantage grew to 43-33 with 1:11 left.
But Clayton State did its best to keep pace. Jada Alston and Jasmyn Burts each scored inside in the final minute of the first half, pulling the visitors within 43-37 at the break.
The Lakers grabbed nine offensive rebounds in the first half and had an almost identical shooting percentage, making 15 of 32 shots to Lander's 16 of 32. The difference was behind the arc where the Bearcats made 5 treys to just one for Clayton State.
Reid had a put-back and a pair of free throws, pulling the Lakers within 43-41 with 8:30 left in the third quarter.
Johnson-Kelly blew by defenders for another layup, Gordon drove the length of the floor for a layup, and Santoro knocked down a 3-pointer from the right corner as the Bearcats led 50-43 at the 7:20 mark.
Gordon banked in a short jumper and added a put-back as Lander built its lead back into double digits at 58-47 with 2:12 left in the third.
Langley's 3-pointer from the left wing helped the Bearcats carry a 61-51 lead going into the final quarter.
Reid scored twice inside and Burts made a 3-pointer from the left corner as Clayton State climbed within 61-58 with 7:10 left in the game.
Ashley Tucker's (Buffalo, N.Y.) two free throws ended a 9-0 Lakers run and Johnson-Kelly drained a 3-pointer from the left wing, giving Lander some breathing room at 66-59 with 5:43 to go. The trey was the first Bearcat field goal of the final quarter.
Tamaria White made a 3-pointer and Alston converted another Lakers offensive rebound into points, pulling the visitors within 66-64 just inside the five-minute mark.
Melendez's long jumper and Langley's two free throws gave the Bearcats a 71-66 lead with three minutes to go.
Deborrah Redmond made two free throws and Jadah White one of two as Clayton State pulled within a possession again at 71-69 with 2:22 left.
Langley made Lander's ninth 3-pointer of the game, giving the hosts a 74-69 advantage with 2:10 remaining.
But Blade made another Lakers put-back, pulling them within 74-71 with 1:55 to go. The score stayed the same for a minute-plus as the Bearcats missed two shots and Langley drew an offensive foul to spoil Clayton State's possession.
But the Lakers had another chance after Lander's second missed shot. With the shot clock approaching zero, Jadah White made a game-tying 3-pointer from the right side making it 74-apiece with 39 seconds left.
Lander turned the ball over with 13 seconds left. Clayton State's Reid missed a short jumper with three seconds to go, Burts grabbed the offensive rebound and missed a reverse layup at the buzzer, and the game went into overtime. The Lakers outscored the Blue and Gold 23-13 in the fourth quarter.
Tamaria White scored from near the free throw line giving Clayton State its first lead since it was 17-16. Redmond hit three of four free throws making it 79-74 with 4:02 left in overtime.
Johnson-Kelly's two free throws cut Lander's deficit to 79-76 with 3:37 to go. Santoro's third 3-pointer pulled Lander within 81-79 with 2:21 left.
The Bearcats pulled within two once again on another 3-pointer, this by Johnson-Kelly from the top of the key, making it 84-82 with 1:17 to go.
Tamaria White's layup gave the Lakers an 86-82 lead with just under a minute left.
The Bearcats missed a 3-pointer, but Clayton State traveled after grabbing the defensive rebound. This time, Gordon took an inbounds pass and made a layup in traffic as Lander trailed 86-84 with 39 seconds left.
The Lakers committed a turnover with nine seconds left. But the Bearcats missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds and Reid grabbed the defensive rebound to end it.
Lander hits the road for a pair of games in the Peach State next week as they travel to Dahlonega to take on North Georgia on Wednesday before traveling to Milledgeville to take on Georgia College and State University on Saturday.
