Cange, Recarte lead the way as second-seed Lander routs Flagler in PBC quarterfinals

GREENWOOD, S.C. - Makaila Cange scored 27 points while Miriam Recarte and Aniaya Jester added double-doubles as the second-seeded Lander Bearcats routed seventh-seeded Flagler 107-77 in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinals Wednesday evening at Horne Arena.

Lander, ranked No. 6 nationally and second in the Southeast Region, improved to 22-3.

The Saints end their season at 12-17.

Lander has advanced to the PBC Tournament semifinals to be played Saturday. The championship game is Sunday.

The Bearcats have won 16 of their last 17 against Flagler, including the current eight-game winning streak.

The teams met just last Saturday with Lander winning 85-72. But the Bearcats were down 11 early in the second half and needed a 37-13 run to turn that contest around. Wednesday's game was much different.

Cange made 11 of 15 shots from the floor and added eight rebounds, falling just short of a 16th double-double this season.

But Recarte did complete a double-double in resounding fashion, scoring 21 points and grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds while also blocking three shots.

Jester contributed her second consecutive double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. She also led Lander with eight assists and blocked two shots.
Amiaya Melvins added 16 points and seven assists for the Blue and Gold. Vashae Rideout contributed 11 points while leading the Bearcats with four steals.

Sarah Crews scored seven points and added six assists for Lander.

Tori Pearce paced Flagler with a double-double, scoring 24 points and pulling down 10 boards. Keegan Brace made her first five attempts from behind the arc and finished with 15 points for the Saints.

The Bearcats out-rebounded Flagler 37-25, grabbed 22 offensive boards, and dished out 28 assists.

Unlike last Saturday when the Bearcats fell behind 22-12 in the first quarter, Lander came out hot. Crews and Jester each scored twice in the opening four-plus minutes as the Blue and Gold led 13-2.

After Flagler pulled within 14-6, the Bearcats scored eight unanswered points including a three-point play by Melvins and 3-pointer from Recarte. Lander led 24-8 going into the second period.

Cange made a 3-pointer from the top of the key and Rideout scored in the paint as the Bearcat lead grew to 29-11 with 8:42 left in the half.

Cange's layup gave Lander a 35-16 advantage with 6:21 left while Recarte's bucket made it 43-22 with 4:08 to go.

Brace made a pair of 3-pointers during an 8-0 run as the Saints pulled within 45-32. But the Bearcats scored the final nine points of the half including Jester's 3-pointer with six seconds left to lead 54-32 at the break.

Cange made one of two free throws, extending Lander's advantage to 61-34 with 6:21 left in the third. Rideout's transition layup off Recarte's blocked shot made it 73-44 with 2:35 to go.

The Bearcats scored twice in the last 30 seconds of the third quarter to lead 79-50 going into the fourth. Cange made a reverse layup and Melvins added a driving lay-in.

Cange's mid-range jumper gave Lander an 85-54 advantage at the eight-minute mark. Recarte's free throws made it 90-61 with six minutes remaining.

Recarte swished a 3-pointer from the right side and made a transition layup off a long pass from Carley Culberson for a 99-66 lead with three minutes to go.

Lander hit the century mark on Jakiyah Parker's long 3-pointer, making it 102-71 with 1:19 left.

Cierra Revelle banked in a 3-pointer with 24 seconds to go while Culberson added a driving layup with nine seconds left.

Clayton State Advances to PBC Semifinals with Upset at Georgia Southwestern

AMERICUS, GA -- The sixth-seeded Clayton State Lakers used a late fourth-quarter run to down third-seeded Georgia Southwestern State 62-54 in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Peach Belt Conference women's basketball tournament on Wednesday in Storm Dome in Americus.  With that win, the Lakers (15-12) advance to the PBC semifinals this Saturday in Dahlonega, Ga., where they will meet second-seeded Lander.

GSW cut the lead to two, 55-53, with 2:49 to play in the fourth following a free throw from Kayla Grant.  The Lakers would hold the Hurricanes to just one more point the rest of the way as they outscored GSW 9-1 to finish the game.  Timi'a Swanson scored four of those nine, all coming from the free throw line as GSW missed their final five field goal attempts.

The two teams were tied at 15 following the first quarter, but Clayton State pulled ahead in the second using an 11-2 run over the final 5:35 to open a 33-26 halftime lead.

GSW (22-6) stormed back in the third, getting back-to-back three-pointers from Jolicia Williams to cut a 10-point lead down to four in just over a minute. Trailing by six with 7:15 to go in the third, GSW went on a 12-2 run over the next five minutes to open up a four-point lead, capped by a Kayla Langley layup.

Clayton State responded with three straight buckets from Swanson and closed the third leading 46-44.

Swanson scored 21 with 11 rebounds to lead the Lakers, hitting 8-for-13 from the field, adding three assists.  Jadah Waite added 14 and four boards while Audrey McElhaney had 12 with seven rebounds.  Clayton State made the most of their opportunities in the game, outscoring GSW 28-8 in points off turnovers.

Williams led the Hurricanes with 21 points while Langley added 14 and 10 rebounds.  GSW was hosting a PBC Tournament quarterfinal for the first time in program history.  The Hurricanes were ranked #3 in the latest NCAA regional rankings which came out earlier on Wednesday, assuring them of an at-large spot in next week's NCAA Tournament.

Lady Cougar Basketball Grabs PBC Quarterfinal Win Over Augusta

COLUMBUS - The fourth-seeded Columbus State University women's basketball team held off a late comeback attempt by Augusta University to grab a 60-57 victory in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday. The game was played inside the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center.

The Lady Cougars (17-12) were in front for the majority of the night, but their early second-half, double-digit lead was erased in the fourth quarter after a 7-2 run pulled the Jaguars within four (48-44) of the lead with under seven to play.

Augusta (15-13) continued to battle as a 3-pointer from Zairya West made it just a one-possession game (54-51) with 2:57 to go.

Back-to-back buckets from Olonna Rawls and Imani Arnold stretched the lead back to 58-51 with less than 90 seconds to play, but Jags wouldn't go away. AU would score six of the next seven points, including a layup from Autumn Phillips with five seconds that cut CSU's lead to 59-57.

Jurnee Smith was fouled following the in-bound but went 1-for-2 at the line allowing Augusta the chance for a last-second 3-point attempt. However, Phillips' shot was blocked by Rawls, sending the Lady Cougars into the semifinals.

"A win is a win in tournament play," commented head coach Matt Houser. "This was the first postseason game for many of our players, and I thought we handled the pressure well. Our seniors though played a big role in this win."

A trio of Lady Cougars scored 13 points, with Boston leading the way with a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double. Imani Arnold and Amber Abusbeih were the other two CSU players with 13 points with the duo picking up four steals apiece.

It was a high-scoring first quarter with Columbus State jumping out with a 20-13 lead. The two teams exchanged buckets for the first five minutes until CSU scored the final seven points to grab control. Boston had four in the spurt, while Rawls connected from deep for the final points of the quarter.

CSU remained ahead in the second, despite starting 1-for-6 over the first four minutes. However, a 3-point play by Abusbeih jumpstarted a 7-0 run by CSU, helping the Lady Cougars build a 30-19 advantage. AU responded by scoring five of the final six points of the half to go into the break down 31-24.

Columbus State started the second half by taking its first double-digit lead of the night and looked to be in command. The Jaguars did cut their deficit to five late in the quarter, but seven quick points by the Lady Cougars, including a 3-pointer from Alycia Reese had CSU up by a game-high 11 points (46-35) right before the fourth. Kennedi Manning scored the final points of the quarter for AU to set up the comeback attempt.

November Morton had 15 points for Augusta, while Manning had a game-high 12 rebounds and four blocks.

Columbus State shot 36.5% (23-for-63) as a team but was just 3-for-15 (20.0%) from long-range. The Jaguars were 6-for-14 (42.9%) from beyond the arc and shot 37.5% (24-for-64) overall.

UP NEXT
Columbus State will head to Dahlonega, Ga. for the PBC Tournament semifinals and will face top-seeded and ninth-ranked North Georgia on Saturday. The start time will be announced on Thursday.

GAME NOTES
CSU improves to 44-23 overall in PBC Tournament play. Under Houser, the Lady Cougars is 2-1
The Cougars rejected six shots on Wednesday. The six blocks are the most in a game since Feb. 2 (9 vs. USC Aiken)
It's the third straight double-double for Boston and the sixth in the last seven games
Columbus State remained eighth in the latest NCAA Southeast Region rankings
Columbus State improves 44-12 all-time against Augusta and 10-1 in PBC Tournament action