Lander Lander 19-11,11-7 Peach Belt

Ga. Southwestern GS 24-3,15-2 Peach Belt

Lander Lander

19-11,11-7 Peach Belt

Final

Mar. 08, 2024

Ga. Southwestern GS

24-3,15-2 Peach Belt

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Lander Lander	16	6	16	15	53
Ga. Southwestern GS	21	19	12	17	69

Summary
Box Score

Bob Stoner

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 3/8/2024 9:30:00 PM

Georgia Southwestern ousts Lander in Peach Belt Tournament semifinals

AMERICUS, Ga. – The Lander Bearcats rallied but fell short as they were eliminated from the Peach Belt Conference Women's Basketball Tournament 69-53 to top seed host Georgia Southwestern State Friday night at the Storm Dorm.

Fourth-seeded Lander fell to 19-11 and hope for an at-large berth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Bids will be announced later this weekend.

The Hurricanes improved to 25-3, advancing to the PBC championship game Sunday afternoon versus Columbus State.

Georgia Southwestern made 15 of 21 shots from the floor in the first half (71 percent) including four of six 3-point attempts in building a 40-22 halftime lead.

The Hurricanes led by as many as 21 in the third quarter before Lander used a 14-2 run bridging the third and fourth periods to pull within single digits. But Georgia Southwestern was able to pull away late.

PBC Player of the Year WyKira Johnson-Kelly (Franklinville, N.J.) paced the Bearcats with 14 points, Quadaija Langley (Travelers Rest, S.C.) scored 13 points, and Ashley Tucker (Buffalo, N.Y.) added 10 points.

Jashanti Simmons led the Hurricanes with 16 points, Destiny Garrett scored 13, and Leah Johnson and Ndidiamaka Ndukwe 10 points apiece.

Both teams got off to a hot shooting start, each making seven of its first 10 shots. There were three ties and four lead changes before Georgia Southwestern pulled out in front. Tucker and Tanyia Gordon (Plant City, Fla.) each scored a pair of baskets, but the Bearcats trailed 21-16 going into the second period.

The Hurricanes took their first double-digit lead on Ndukwe's 3-pointer, making it 28-18 with six minutes left in the half.

Johnson-Kelly drove to the basket and made a pair of tough shots off the glass, pulling Lander within 29-20 and 31-22. But Georgia Southwestern scored the final nine points of the half to lead 40-22 at the break.

Simmons made a pair of free throws, giving the Hurricanes their largest lead of the game at 50-29 with 3:43 left in the third quarter.

The Bearcats ended the third period with a 9-2 run, cutting their deficit to 52-38. Tucker made two free throws and then a mid-range jumper, Langley swished a 3-pointer from the right corner, and Courtney Nesbitt (Loganville, Ga.) drove the baseline and made a tough layup between two defenders.

Lander's run continued into the fourth quarter as Tucker made another mid-range jumper and Nesbitt knocked down a transition trey cutting the deficit to 52-43 with 7:48 left in the game. The run was now 14-2.

Johnson-Kelly's steal and layup pulled the Bearcats within 54-46 with 6:50 to go. Langley drove around two defenders for a layup as the deficit was 56-48 with 6:08 left. That was as close as it would get.

Six-foot-3 center Johnson made a layup, added two free throws, and followed with a pair of put-backs including a three-point play, extending Georgia Southwestern's advantage to 67-50 with 1:52 remaining.

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