An Elite Feat B earcat Sports
Lady Bearcats Make Lander History with Elite Eight Appearance By David Hays, Photos by Bob Stoner
Finally, it was Lander’s turn to cut down the nets and board the plane to the NCAA Elite Eight. The Lady Bearcats basketball team had been close before, reaching the NCAA Division II Women’s National Tournament Sweet 16 in each of the previous two seasons. Two years ago, Finis Horne Arena was rocking as Lander hosted Tusculum College for a chance to reach the Elite Eight, to be played in St. Joseph, Mo. The Lady Bearcats built a 24-8 lead in front of a raucous crowd. But Tusculum made it close by halftime, pulled ahead late and held on. The Pioneers cut down the nets, signifying their claim to the Southeast Regional championship, on Lander’s home floor. The Lady Bearcats finished 27-4, the best in program history. But that loss would sting for a while. Last year, the Lady Bearcats were in the Sweet 16 again. They got off to a 23-0 start and were No. 1 in the nation for four weeks before losing – by one point – at second-ranked Clayton State in a February regular-season showdown. Lander returned to Clayton State for the Southeast Regional and met the No. 1 Lakers in the Sweet 16. Clayton pulled away from the Lady Bearcats, and would go on to win the national championship, with three lopsided victories in St. Joseph.
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Lander Magazine • Spring 2012
Lander finished with a school-record 29 wins against only four losses, with two of those defeats at the hands of the national champion. The Lady Bearcats were arguably the second-best team in the nation. But Lander went into the 2011-12 season without Division II National Player of the Year Shannon McKever, another starting post player Tasheba Butler, and reserve Katie Hupp. Also gone was a pair of standout guards in Nardia Robbins and Brianna Webb. But Brittni Johnson, Ciara Lyons, Jasmine Judge, Mukia Myrick, Kaylyn Small and Keondra Barnes were back for their fourth years, and they had plenty of experience under their belts. The Lady Bearcats struggled down the stretch, losing four out of their final eight games to enter the Southeast Regional at USC Aiken as a No. 4 seed. Precious Elkins had the game of her life with 29 points and 12 rebounds, leading Lander to a first-round win over fifth-seed Limestone. The next day, No. 3 seed Wingate upset second-seed Clayton State, and Lander would face top-seed Aiken, who beat the Lady Bearcats twice during the regular season and was undefeated at home. But Lander was eager for a third shot at Aiken, and they came up big. Down by 11 early in the second half, Lander took the lead for good on Judge’s 3-pointer with 1:28 left. Johnson sealed the victory with another 3-pointer. The Lady Bearcats were 61-55 winners and had a date with Wingate in the Sweet 16.