AMERICUS, Ga. -- The Georgia Southwestern women's basketball team dropped their Peach Belt Conference opener inside the Storm Dome by way of 57-50 to No. 13 Lander University. Consisting of 11 lead changes, the Lady Hurricanes fell to the ladder end of things late in the fourth quarter. 

With 6:48 remaining in the game, Jaleah Storr drained her second three of the night to take a 50-49 lead that capped an 8-0 run. That was the last lead of the night for GSW as Lander ran away with a win when GSW failed to score again. 

How It Happened: GSW opened the game with a 3-0 lead before Lander was able to get on the board. After tieing the game at 5-5, Lander took the lead before a layup by Daelyn Craig gave the Lady Hurricanes the lead again with 2:01 remaining in the opening quarter. The Bearcats ended up on top with a 19-16 lead to end the first. 

Storr's first three of the night came within the opening minute of the second quarter to tie the game at 19-19. Lander tried to make a short run but a three by Lex Chatman followed by a quick fast-break steal by Jamesha Samuel put GSW up by one, 24-23, with 5:40 left in the first half. A deep three by Samuel pushed the lead for the Lady Hurricanes but the Bearcats returned with a three of their own to take a 31-29 halftime lead. 

GSW took a 34-33 lead early in the third quarter that forced Lander to take a quick timeout before things got out of hand. Back-to-back scores by Samuel gave GSW their largest lead of the night, 38-34. The Lady Hurricanes took another four-point lead but a quick three by Lander cut the score down to 40-39 with 4:59 remaining in the third quarter. The Bearcats regained their lead on the following possession with a three as they held on to a 47-42 lead going into the final ten minutes. 

The Lady Hurricanes opened the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run that gave them a 50-49 lead with 6:48 remaining after Storr drained a three. The Bearcats drained 1-of-2 free throws from the line to tie the game on the following possession, 50-50. Both teams went on scoring drought for two minutes before Lander's Zamiya Passmore gave them the final lead change of the night. GSW failed to score after gaining the lead, losing 57-50. 

Both teams only drained four three pointers on the night but Lander shot 10 less three's, finishing at 25 percent while GSW finished 15.4 percent from behind-the-arc. Lander also won at the line, draining five more free throws than GSW, who only went 8-for-13 while they went 13-for-26. Both teams ran even with 40 rebounds each but GSW forced Lander to make 2o turnovers while turning it to 22 points on the opposite end. 

Who Stood Out: Samuel led with 20 points, six steals and five rebounds while Storr came off the bench with 13 points. Kayla Grant picked up her second start of her freshman campaign and ended with a team-high 14 rebounds and two blocks while Chatman finished with six points, six assists and seven steals. 

Makaila Cange led the Bearcats with 20 points and 17 rebounds while Miriam Recarte finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. 

Up Next: The Lady Hurricanes will hit the road for their first away game on Saturday, Jan. 9 for a 1:30 p.m. game against Francis Marion.