FLORENCE – Dwight Tolbert converted on a three-point play with 24 seconds left in the second overtime Wednesday night to lead the Lander men's basketball team to a 95-94 victory over Francis Marion in the Peach Belt Conference opener for both teams at the Smith University Center.
Lander improves to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the PBC, while Francis Marion slips to 4-3, 0-1.
After Tolbert's three-point play put Lander up 93-91, he added two more free throws with two seconds left. The Patriots' Clayton Williams netted a three at the buzzer.
Tolbert scored a game-high 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Bearcats. He connected on 9-of-19 field goals, including 6-of-12 three pointers and 7-of-9 free throws. Corey Wright added 23 points and eight assists in the victory, while Jermel Kennedy had eight points and 11 rebounds.
Marcus Wright and Evrik Gary scored 21 points each for the Patriots, while Liki Turner added 20. Zamarius McLendon added a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Turner and Gary each grabbed nine boards.
The Bearcats struck first in the second overtime on Kennedy's layup for an 88-86 advantage with 3:18 left. McLendon made the second of two free throws to cut the lead to 88-87 at 2:55.
Darion Canty sank two free throws at 2:30 to give the Bearcats a 90-87 lead, only to have Wright counter with a layup at 2:07 and make it 90-89.
Turner's tip-in on Mi'Keyel Nero's missed shot put the Patriots back on top at 91-90 with 49 seconds to go.
Wright opened the first overtime period with a three to give LU an 82-79 lead at 4:41 then stretched the margin to 83-79 when he added a free throw.
FMU answered with an Andrew Smith bucket, but Lander countered with a Tolbert three to take an 86-84 advantage at 3:01.
With 2:42 left, Turner's trey cut the Lander lead to 86-84, then forced the overtime at 1:03 when tied the game at 86-all with two more free throws.
Lander connected on 33-of-77 floor shots for 42.9 percent, including 8-of-24 three pointers for 33.3 percent. The Bearcats sank 21-of-31 free throws for 67.7 percent.
The Patriots were 31-of-77 from the field for 40.3 percent, including 10-of-20 from the three-point line for 50 percent. FMU made 22-of-30 foul shots for 73.3 percent and outrebounded the Bearcats, 54-43.
After going back and forth for the first seven minutes of the game, Lander finally broke a 16-16 tie and went up 22-16 at 10:50 on bucket by Tolbert and two from Wright. The Bearcats extended the margin to 26-18 at 8:38 on Kennedy's power dunk.
FMU then made a 9-1 run to tie the game at 27-all on a Gary three pointer with 6:52 remaining in the half.
Tolbert put Lander back on top at 30-27 with a three at 6:27 and the Bearcats extended the lead to 34-29 on Wright's fastbreak layup at 5:03.
Once again, the Patriots rallied to tie the game at 34-34 on a Wright three at 4:03.
The two teams batted the lead back and forth until FMU's McLendon laid the ball in at the buzzer to give the Patriots a 40-39 halftime lead.
After being tied at 42-, 44-, 46-, 48-all, FMU used a pair of McLendon free throws and a Wright three to take a 53-48 lead at 12:50.
Lander's David Pruett sank a three to cut the margin to 53-61, then Wright's layup tied the game yet again at 53-all with 11:36 left to play.
After knotting at 57-57, Lander earned its first lead of the second half at 60-59 on Michael Lowe's three at 9:01. Wright's two free throws made it 62-59 at 8:43, but FMU answered with a pair of Turner free throws and a three by Gary to regain the lead at 64-62 with 7:44 remaining.
Lander forced another tied at 64 on a Dennis Rumph bucket at the 5:50 mark, followed by another Tolbert three to make it 67-66 with 5:12 remaining.
Turner's free throw tied it back up at 67-67 at 4:09, then the teams traded the lead back and forth several times before Lowe was fouled on a three-point attempt and sank all three free throws to give the Bearcats a 74-73 advantage with 2:03 left to play.
McLendon's layup gave the lead back to FMU at 75-74 with 1:48 left, then Tolbert answered with a pair of foul shots to give the advantage back to the Bearcats, 76-75.
The two teams swapped the lead once again on baskets by FMU's Turner and Lander's Rumph as Lander led 78-77 with 44 seconds left to play.
Turner's two free throws gave the lead back to FMU at 79-78 with 37 ticks remaining.
Lander's Wright forced the overtime when he made the first of two foul shots with 14 seconds remaining in regulation.
