USCA NEARLY RALLIES FROM BIG, LATE HOLE IN UPSET BID
LADY PACERS FALL TO LEAGUE-LEADING LANDER 83-78
AIKEN, S.C.-- USC Aiken (10-5, 4-5 PBC) used a 14-3 run inside the final 2:48 to pull within three, but Lander (13-5, 7-1 PBC) held off the Lady Pacer rally to post the 83-78 win in women’s Peach Belt Conference basketball on Wednesday evening at the Convocation Center. The Lady Bearcats improved their league best record to 7-1 while USCA dropped their fourth conference contest in the last six outings. (PHOTO BY: Ginny Southworth)
The win for Lander was just the fourth in the past 16 meetings with USC Aiken while the loss was only the Lady Pacers third in the past two years in home PBC games.
The two teams traded buckets early, with an offensive stick back of a Megan Starnes jumper seesawed USC Aiken in front 8-7 with 16:29 left in the opening half. It would be the last time the Lady Pacers would hold the advantage, as Lander went on a 16-4 run to charge in front 23-12 with 9:26 on the clock following four-straight free throws by Stephanie Ponds. The senior forward finished with 14 points and six rebounds off the Lander bench.
Through the opening nine minutes of the game, Lander managed 11 more shot attempts than USC Aiken, more than doubling the Lady Pacers 3-of-9 effort, thanks to an edge in turnovers and rebounding.
Tiara Good scored eight-straight in a 90-second span to balloon the spread to 33-18 with 4:54 to play. The reigning PBC Player of the Year finished with 17 points to go with seven rebounds and six assists in 39 minutes.
Over the final 4:54, the Lady Pacers came to life, closing the half on a 13-4 run to draw within 37-31 at the break. Avonte Williams, who had been held scoreless in her last two home games, poured in all eight of her first half points during the spurt. She finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
USC Aiken tallied five of the first seven points scored in the final frame to trim the deficit to 39-36 with 18:07 remaining on an old-fashioned three-point play from Morgan Johnson.
Still leading by the same margin, Lander reeled off 13 of the next 17 points keyed by three consecutive lay-ups by Kianna Smith to bolt to a 54-42 lead.
Lander maintained their sizable cushion for much of the next 10 minutes. Shannon McKever connected on two charity tosses with 2:48 to play to give the Lady Bearcats their largest second half bulge 74-60 and seemingly close out the game.
Johnson converted four-straight at the line and Meredith Legg and Starnes drained back-to-back triples for a 10-0 run, cutting the deficit to 74-70 in a span of 1:08.
With the difference down to one possession, 81-78, and 7.9 seconds to play, Smith missed both free throws, but the rebound was knocked around, finally grabbed by Starnes in traffic, but her pass ahead to Legg was intercepted by LaShonda Chiles to end the threat.
Starnes led all scorers with a career-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting including 3-of-3 from long range. Johnson recorded 13 points, seven rebounds, and a career-best six blocks. Legg chipped in 11 points.
After shooting 20.7 percent just 48 hours ago at Augusta State, the Lady Pacers bounced back for a 25-of-50 performance including 4-of-11 from downtown.
McKever registered a double double with 12 points and 11 boards. Chiles scored 13 of her 18 in the second half.
USC Aiken will host Georgia College & State on Saturday, January 26 at 5:30 PM at the Convocation Center. Lander travels to Savannah, Ga. to take on Armstrong Atlantic State, also on Saturday, at 2:00 PM.
Newspaper Box Score
Lander vs USC Aiken
01/23/08 5:30 PM at Aiken, S.C. (Convocation Center)
LANDER 83, USC AIKEN 78
LANDER (13-5, 7-1 PBC)
Chiles, LaShonda 6-16 4-4 18; Good, Tiara 6-14 3-5 17; Ponds, Stephanie 3-6 8-11 14; Smith, Kianna 6-13 2-6 14; McKever, Shannon 5-11 2-2 12; Butler, TaSheba 3-4 2-2 8; McCall, Candi 0-0 0-0 0; Butler, Andrea 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-64 21-30 83.
USC AIKEN (10-5, 4-5 PBC)
Starnes, Megan 8-14 1-2 20; Williams, Avonte 5-10 8-10 18; Johnson, Morgan 1-2 11-13 13; Legg, Meredith 4-9 2-2 11; Thomas, Jordon 3-5 2-4 8; Leppanen, Satu 3-3 0-0 6; Harris, Triahna 1-2 0-0 2; Crapps, Cameron 0-1 0-0 0; Broadwater, LaToshia 0-1 0-0 0; Pinkney, Nakia 0-1 0-0 0; Meyer, Sarah 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-50 24-31 78.
Lander........................ 37 46 - 83
USC Aiken.................. 31 47 - 78
3-point goals--Lander 4-18 (Chiles, LaShonda 2-7; Good, Tiara 2-7; Smith, Kianna 0-4), USC Aiken 4-11 (Starnes, Megan 3-3; Legg, Meredith 1-3; Thomas, Jordon 0-1; Crapps, Cameron 0-1; Pinkney, Nakia 0-1; Meyer, Sarah 0-1; Williams, Avonte 0-1). Fouled out--Lander-McKever, Shannon, USC Aiken-Thomas, Jordon. Rebounds--Lander 38 (McKever, Shannon 11), USC Aiken 33 (Williams, Avonte 9). Assists--Lander 17 (Good, Tiara 6), USC Aiken 15 (Williams, Avonte 6). Total fouls--Lander 20, USC Aiken 23. Technical fouls--Lander-None, USC Aiken-None. A-751.
BOXSCORE