GREENWOOD – Colin Slotter scored 11 points in a row early in the second half to give Georgia Southwestern the lead for good as the Hurricanes spoiled Lander's Homecoming 71-53 Saturday afternoon at Finis Horne Arena.
Georgia Southwestern, which has been the Peach Belt Conference's second-best team this season, improved to 14-4 overall and 7-2 in the league.
Phillip Brown led the Hurricanes with a double-double, posting 18 points and 14 rebounds. Slotter also scored 18 points and had a game-high seven assists. Talmadge Bell added 11 points and five assists.
The Bearcats were outscored 43-23 in the second half, falling to 7-11 overall and 1-10 in the PBC.
Lander came out with a new starting lineup. Joining senior every game starter Tovi Bailey were freshmen Stefan Tabasevic, Cody Waterworth and Quentin Bastian and junior Darion Canty. It was the first start of the season for Waterworth and Bastian, Tabasevic was starting for just the second time, and Canty was making his eighth start in 18 games.
Bastian led the Bearcats with 13 points on six of eight shooting from the floor and had a team-high seven rebounds. David Pruett also scored 13 points for Lander while Tabasevic added nine points.
The visitors out-rebounded the Bearcats 42-24.
Georgia Southwestern trailed 32-30 early in the second half when Slotter scored the game's next 11 points. He hit a go-ahead 3-pointer, a jumper just inside the arc, and two more treys to give the Hurricanes, who trailed most of the first half, a 41-32 lead with 15:20 left in the game.
Pruett ended the run with a 3-pointer and Bastian scored twice inside to pull Lander within 44-39, and Pruett's acrobatic basket converted into a three-point play cut the Bearcat deficit to 46-42.
But Mobley made a 3-pointer and a breakaway layup, and Bobby Glover hit a trey to push Georgia Southwestern to its largest lead of the game at 59-46 with 8:45 left.
Matt Shaw's three-point play increased the lead to 14, 64-50, with 6:13 to go. Two minutes later, Bell's 3-pointer gave the 'Canes a 17-point advantage, 67-50.
The new lineup staked the Bearcats to a 10-3 lead, including Tabasevic's game-opening 3-pointer from the left corner, baskets by Waterworth and Bastian, and another Tabasevic bucket.
With 9:35 left, Georgia Southwestern's Brown dunked the ball and was fouled but was whistled for a technical for hanging on the rim. After Pruett hit two technical free throws for Lander, Brown hit his free throw to complete the three-point play to cut the Hurricane deficit to 19-14.
The Bearcats regained their seven-point lead on Bailey's 3-pointer from the left corner, making it 24-17 at the 8:10 mark.
Brown scored twice inside to pull the 'Canes within 24-23 with 6:42 to go and his free throw cut it to 27-26 at the 2:28 mark. Georgia Southwestern took its first lead on Slotter's two free throws, making it 28-27 with 1:33 left.
Lander regained the lead in the final minute of the first half when Canty made one free throw, rebounded his own miss on the second leading to Bastian's go-ahead layup to give the hosts a 30-28 lead at the intermission.
Statistically, Georgia Southwestern shot 50 percent from the floor, making 23 of 46 shots. The 'Canes made 17 of 21 free throws (81 percent) and eight of 23 from 3-point range (35 percent).
Lander made 19 of 53 shots (36 percent), 12 of 21 free throws (57 percent) and three of eight from behind the arc (38 percent).
