FLORENCE, S.C. – Junior guard Tiara Good came within an eyelash of a quadruple-double as her 23 points led Lander University to a 74-61 win over Francis Marion University, Tuesday evening (Jan. 2) in the Peach Belt Conference opener for both squads.

Lander evens its overall mark at 5-5, while the Patriots (3-8) drop their fifth consecutive game.

Sophomore forward Katherine Kiefer came off the FMU bench to lead the Patriots with 15 points, while 5-6 sophomore guard Kirby Marsh added 11 points and hauled down a career-high 13 rebounds.

In addition to her game-high point total, Good also registered 13 assists, 10 turnovers, and nine rebounds.  Junior center Stephanie Ponds tallied 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting in only 16 minutes of action.

A nip-and-tuck first stanza featured eight ties and 11 lead changes.  Lander left the floor at intermission holding a 33-31 advantage after two free throws by Good with 1:24 left.

The Bearcats added to their lead with a 14-5 spurt to open the second half.  Following a free throw by April McClendon with 11:45 remaining, Lander led 53-43.  Francis Marion responded with an 11-1 run to knot the score at 54-54 after two Brittany Young charity tosses with 7:40 left.

Lander scored the next 10 points to take a 64-54 lead, only to have the Patriots rally one final time.  A fast-break basket by freshman Chelsea Quinlan cut the deficit to 64-61 with 2:40 remaining.  Following a miss by Lander, Quinlan had an opportunity to tie the game with 2:05 left, but she misfired on a three-point attempt.  Lander then tallied the game’s final 10 points: six by Good at the free throw line and four by Ponds.

FMU was hampered by 28 turnovers, while the shooting percentages for both squads were relatively similar.

Francis Marion will play host to Pfeiffer University this Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m., while Lander entertains Georgia College & State University this Saturday at 2 p.m.

At Florence, SC (Smith University Center)

LANDER UNIVERSITY 74, FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 61

LANDER UNIVERSITY (5-5 , 1-0 PBC)

Good, Tiara 6-19 9-11 23; Ponds, Stephanie 8-13 4-6 20; Crouch, Bryony 2-8

1-3 7; Collier, Jasmine 2-11 0-0 6; McClendon, April 2-2 2-4 6; Norman,

Keyattah 1-4 3-4 5; Fleming, Anna 2-5 0-0 4; Nyikavaranda, Tara 0-0 2-2 2;

Kirkland, Tierra 0-3 1-2 1. Totals 23-65 22-32 74.

FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (3-8 , 0-1 PBC)

Kiefer, Katherine 6-9 3-4 15; Marsh, Kirby 2-7 6-6 11; Goff, Vanessa 4-8 1-4

9; Downer, Shonelle 4-8 0-2 8; Young, Brittany 1-7 3-4 5; Quinlan, Chelsea

2-12 1-2 5; Dixon, Yasmean 1-2 3-4 5; Guilliams, Renee 1-5 0-0 3; Cook, Erin

0-0 0-0 0; Mack, Shavone 0-1 0-0 0; Preal, Shaketa 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-59

17-26 61.

Halftime: Lander University 33  Francis Marion University 31.

3-point goals-Lander University 6-23 (Collier, Jasmine 2-11; Crouch, Bryony

2-5; Good, Tiara 2-7), Francis Marion University 2-10 (Guilliams, Renee 1-3;

Marsh, Kirby 1-2; Young, Brittany 0-1; Quinlan, Chelsea 0-3; Kiefer,

Katherine 0-1). Fouled out--Lander University-None, Francis Marion

University-Young, Brittany. Rebounds-Lander University 41 (Good, Tiara 9),

Francis Marion University 46 (Marsh, Kirby 13). Assists-Lander University 15

(Good, Tiara 13), Francis Marion University 15 (Young, Brittany 8). Total

fouls-Lander University 19, Francis Marion University 23. A-275