GREENWOOD – Jareal Smith scored 20 points and Dermaine Smith added a double-double as the Lander Bearcats pulled away in the second half to beat Southern Wesleyan 74-64 in a non-conference men's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena.

Lander, which led only 36-35 early in the second half, improved to 4-3 on the season. The Warriors fell to 5-5.

Jareal Smith hit seven of 12 shots from the floor and scored nine quick points during a crucial second-half run to lead the Bearcats.

Dermaine Smith added 15 points on six of 10 shooting from the floor, including a pair of dunks, and had a game-high 10 rebounds.

Mike Lee added 14 points for Lander, including eight of nine free throws. Michael Panaggio led the Bearcats with seven assists while also scoring eight points, and Jareal Smith led them with four steals.

Southern Wesleyan's Cameron Solomon led all scorers with 22 points including 11 of 11 free throws, teammate Jordan Wallace scored 12 points, and Dwayne Bryant and Jamaral Kearse added nine points apiece.

Terrance Hutchins added eight points and had a team-high nine rebounds for the Warriors. Wallace led Southern Wesleyan with four assists.

The Bearcats made 25 of 59 shots from the floor (42 percent), 20 of 30 free throws (67 percent) and four of 15 from 3-point range (27 percent).

The Warriors hit 22 of 50 shots (44 percent), 14 of 17 free throws (82 percent) and six of 20 from behind the arc (30 percent).

Lander had a 37-30 rebounding edge and committed only seven turnovers to Southern Wesleyan's 15.

The Bearcats built a 12-0 lead in the first four-plus minutes of the game, with Jareal Smith making two baskets and also lobbing a pass to Dermaine Smith for a spectacular reverse dunk.

Southern Wesleyan was scoreless until Bryant hit a free throw at the 15:14 mark, and the Warriors' first basket didn't come until 13:46 left when Hutchins scored to make it 13-3.

But Southern Wesleyan was making the game more respectable when Kearse hit a 3-pointer to pull the visitors within 15-8 with 12:50 to go.

But Lander doubled the lead up at 20-10 at the 11:47 mark when Dermaine Smith grabbed a long rebound off a missed free throw and laid it in.

The Warriors got back into the game with an 8-1 run capped by Wallace's wide-open layup off a turnover, making it 21-18 with 8:22 left.

J.R. Washington made a 3-pointer and Denzel Myers added a fast-break basket to push Lander's lead back to eight, 26-18, with 7:35 to go.

Wallace banked in a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left to cut Southern Wesleyan's deficit to only three, 34-31, at halftime.

The Warriors pulled within 36-35 inside the 17-minute mark on a basket by Wallace. But Panaggio made a jumper, Dermaine Smith dropped in a hook, and Jareal Smith nailed a pair of 3s and converted an old-fashioned three-point play as Lander rebuilt its lead back to nine, 49-40, with 12:35 left.

After Southern Wesleyan pulled back within five, 49-44, with 11:26 to go on Kearse's back-court steal and layup, the Bearcats would gain their first double-digit lead of the second half on Jareal Smith's free throw, Dermaine Smith's dunk off a Jareal Smith steal, and Myers' jumper to make it 54-44 inside the eight-minute mark.

Lander took its biggest lead of the game at 13 points with 5:22 left when Lee made a scoop shot in the lane, was fouled, and converted a three-point play to make it 59-46.

Lee made two more free throws to push the advantage to 15 points, 63-48, with 4:04 to go.

Hutchins scored with 59 seconds left as the Warriors closed within 68-59. But Lee helped the Bearcats put the game away with a pair of free throws and a fast-break layup in the final minute.