GREENWOOD – PJ Foster made five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 23 points, helping Limestone College spoil the Lander men's basketball home opener 73-65 Wednesday night in a non-conference game at Horne Arena.

The Saints extended a seven-point halftime lead to 14 points two minutes into the second half, and shortly relinquished the lead before holding off Lander.

The Bearcats fell to 1-2. Limestone improved to 2-0.

Lander lost despite Dermaine Smith's double-double. Jareal Smith paced the Bearcats with 16 points, Dermaine Smith had 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, and Darius Carrier had 14 points and seven boards.

Jamal McNeill added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Saints, Josh Odem also scored 12 points, and Asaad Woods added 11 points.

Lander made 25 of 59 shots from the floor (42 percent), four of 16 from 3-point range (25 percent) and 11 of 18 free throws (61 percent). The Bearcats out-rebounded Limestone 34-29.

The Saints made 29 of 52 shots from the floor (56 percent), eight of 22 from behind the arc (36 percent) and seven of 11 free throws (64 percent).

Both teams went through cold shooting in the first half. After Limestone's Odem scored to tie the game at 10-all with 14:15 left, only one basket was made by the two teams combined over the next six minutes.

Carrier gave the Bearcats a 12-10 lead at the 11:09 mark for the only basket in those six minutes until Foster's 3-pointer put the Saints back up, 13-12, with 8:28 to go.

Limestone had missed seven consecutive shots between the Odem and Foster baskets, and Lander missed 10 of 11 attempts during an eight-minute stretch. Mike Lee's 3 was the second Bearcat basket in those eight minutes, pulling the hosts within 18-15 at the 6:38 mark.

Jareal Smith's reverse layup off a pass from Michael Panaggio, and another Smith basket off Lee's steal pulled Lander into a 19-all tie with 5:24 left.

Limestone went on a 10-4 run, taking a 29-23 lead at the three-minute mark on Foster's 3 from the top of the key.

After Mario Pendarvis made two free throws and Carrier drove down the lane for a basket that closed the Bearcats within 29-27, Limestone closed the half with a 5-0 run. Rashod Chavis scored and McNeill hit a 3, giving the Saints a 34-27 lead at the break.

Limestone took its first double digit lead on McNeill's 3-pointer in the opening minute of the second half, making it 37-27. And baskets by Chavis and McNeill helped the Saints double their seven-point halftime lead to 14, 43-29, at the 18-minute mark.

Lander ended Limestone's 9-2 run when Alen Hardy made a put-back after a series of three Bearcats misses. Dermaine Smith followed with a dunk to pull Lander back within 10 at 43-33.

The Bearcats continued to close the gap as Carrier twice got Lander within six, with a base-line jumper and a layup that made it 45-39 at the 14:30 mark. Dermaine Smith converted a reverse layup into a three-point play to pull the hosts within 47-44 with 12:29 to go.

After Foster's 3 from the left side pushed Limestone's lead back to six, 52-46, the Bearcats were back within three on one free throw by Dermaine Smith and two by Panaggio to make it 52-49 at the 10-minute mark.

Denzel Myers drove to the paint and scored to pull Lander within 52-51 with 8:46 to go, and Carrier's two free throws cut the Bearcats deficit to 54-53 at the eight-minute mark.

Foster's basket in the paint put the Saints back up by three, 56-53, with 6:47 left. But this time the Bearcats would charge back and take the lead. Dermaine Smith's basket pulled them within one and Hardy's steal and fast-break layup put Lander up 57-56 with 5:31 to go.

Limestone quickly regained the lead on Odem's basket, and a turnaround jumper by Woods restored the Saints three-point advantage inside the four-minute mark.

Dermaine Smith slammed home Jareal Smith's missed shot to pull the Bearcats back within one and electrify the home crowd. But Foster answered with a big 3-pointer from the top of the key, giving Limestone a 63-59 lead with 3:07 left.

Shaq Dance's basket off a teammate's air ball gave the Saints a six-point lead. But Myers tapped in a Lander teammate's miss to pull the Bearcats back within 65-61 at the two-minute mark.

Odem's free throw extended the lead to five, and after Lander's Jareal Smith missed a 3, Limestone ran down the clock and Foster hit another trey from the top of the key for a 69-61 lead with 44 seconds left.