GREENWOOD – WyKira Johnson-Kelly (Franklinville, N.J.) and Quadaija Langley (Travelers Rest, S.C.) scored a combined 44 points on spectacular 17-for-21 shooting from the floor, leading the Lander Bearcats to an 86-57 Peach Belt Conference victory over USC Beaufort Wednesday night at Horne Arena.
Lander ended a three-game losing streak, improving to 15-6 overall and 8-3 in the Peach Belt. The Bearcats are third in the PBC standings, trailing only Georgia Southwestern and Augusta which are both 9-2.
The Sand Sharks fell to 5-14 overall, 1-10 in the conference.
Johnson-Kelly led all scorers with 25 points, making 11 of 13 shots while also leading Lander with seven assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Langley made six of eight shots and finished with 19 points for the Bearcats. Johnson-Kelly and Langley shot a combined 81 percent from the floor.
Tanyia Gordon (Plant City, Fla.) added 12 points for Lander while
Amani Melendez (Woodbridge, Va.) contributed eight points, three assists and two blocked shots.
The Bearcats shot 60 percent from the floor as a team, making 33 of 55 shots. They also made 80 percent of their free throws, knocking down 12 of 15.
Janiyah Heyward led USC Beaufort with 16 points, Brielle Bartelt scored 14 points and Taniyah Bowman added 12 points.
There were six ties and five lead changes in a high-scoring first quarter, which appropriately ended tied at 18-apiece. Langley and Johnson-Kelly each scored twice while Melendez had a 3-pointer for the Bearcats, who were 7-for-12 from the floor (58 percent) in the opening period.
Shaniya Rose's layup gave USC Beaufort a 26-23 lead with seven minutes left in the first half. But Lander responded with a game-changing 14-0 run.
Johnson-Kelly scored the first eight points of the run, starting with the steal of a deflected pass and turning it into a three-point play. She made another layup and then hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Abby Carter (Geneva, Ohio) scored the next two baskets off turnovers, collecting her own steal and mid-range jumper followed by a fast-break layup off Aaliyah Bell's (Pooler, Ga.) steal. Ashley Tucker (Buffalo, N.Y.) completed the run with a short jumper, giving the Bearcats a 37-26 lead with two minutes left.
Johnson-Kelly collected a steal, tight-roped the sideline, and then delivered a flashy pass to Langley for a layup followed by Gordon's bucket in the paint as Lander's lead grew as halftime approached.
The Sand Sharks made a layup in the final seconds, their first field goal in almost seven minutes. The Bearcats led 41-30 at the break, ending the half on an 18-4 run.
The run continued early in the second half when Gordon made a mid-range jumper and Johnson-Kelly added a jumper from near the free-throw line giving Lander a 45-30 advantage.
Heyward pulled USC Beaufort within 49-42 with 6:14 left in the third quarter. Cory Santoro (Bellevue, Ohio) answered with a 3-pointer from the right corner, pushing the Bearcat lead back into double digits at 52-42.
Melendez swished a trey from the left wing as Lander led 57-46 with 2:40 left.
Tucker added a jumper from the left side and Johnson-Kelly weaved through defenders for a layup as the Bearcat lead extended to 61-48.
Johnson-Kelly made a fall-away jumper just inside the arc at the buzzer, giving Lander a 63-50 advantage going into the final quarter.
Gordon scored twice, Langley nailed a 3-pointer from the left corner, Johnson-Kelly made an acrobatic layup, and Langley converted a dazzling layup into a three-point play as the Bearcat lead ballooned to 76-52 with 6:14 to go.
Courtney Nesbitt (Loganville, Ga.) had a big final two minutes off the bench, collecting a defensive rebound and driving coast-to-coast for a layup and then adding her first career 3-pointer for Lander's final five points.
The Bearcats continue their homestand on Saturday as they host Clayton State for Homecoming 2024. That game is scheduled for a 1:30 PM tip.
