GREENWOOD, S.C. – After hitting 8-of-10 shots from 3-point range in the first half, the Lander Bearcats spent the last part of the game making free throws to clinch their first Peach Belt Conference win of the season.
Lander beat the USC Aiken Pacers 71-64 Saturday night at Horne Arena.
The Bearcats improved to 4-10 overall and 1-6 in the PBC. Aiken fell to 3-11, 1-7.
J.T. Greene led four double-figure scorers with 15 points for Lander. Emanuel Hodrea scored 13 points, Jarred Jackson 11 and Michael Griffin 10. Anthony Coates led the Pacers with 13 points while Kingsley Oguchi added 10 points. Aiken's Richard Blocker had a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Bearcats built a seemingly comfortable 15-point lead, 49-34, with 13:10 left on a basket by Derek Brooks. But Aiken went on an 18-5 run on 3-pointers by Richard Glover, Kenny Burr and Josh Poston, and three-point plays from Oguchi and Poston to pull within 54-52 with less than six minutes to go.
Lander extended its lead to 57-52 with 4:15 left on a driving basket by Jahi Rawlings and a Joe McEachern free throw. After Poston hit two free throws to pull the Pacers back to within a one-possession game at 59-56, the Bearcats began to pull away at the free-throw line. Jackson hit four free throws, Jason Davis and Greene made three apiece, and Griffin added two in the final 2:35.
The Bearcats got off to a fast start, building a 13-2 lead in the first five minutes with Hodrea scoring seven of those points. Lander's next seven field goals were 3-pointers, including three by Greene, and one apiece by Brooks, Davis, Hodrea and Jackson. Greene hit back-to-back treys to extend a 29-24 Bearcats lead to 35-24 with 2:05 to go. Lander led 39-28 at halftime on the strength of its 80 percent shooting from behind the arc.
For the game, Lander shot 46 percent from the floor (21-for-46), 64 percent from the free-throw line (20-for-31), and 56 percent from 3-point range (9-for-16). Aiken shot 45 percent from the field (22-for-49), 79 percent from the line (15-for-19), and 26 percent from behind the arc (5-for-19). The Pacers had a 32-30 rebounding edge.
