GREENWOOD – Quamain Rose scored 22 points and teammate Griffin Pittman hit two crucial 3-pointers late in the game, helping UNC Pembroke pull away from the Lander Bearcats 83-72 in a Peach Belt Conference game Monday night at Horne Arena.

The Braves improved to 9-1 overall and 1-1 in the Peach Belt. Lander, which was down just 71-70 with 3:24 left, fell to 4-5, 0-2.

Jareal Smith led the Bearcats with 21 points on eight of 14 shooting from the floor, Mike Lee scored 14 points, and Michael Panaggio added 10 points and eight assists. Dermaine Smith and JR Washington led Lander with five rebounds apiece.

Rose had 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Pembroke. Pittman scored 18 points, including eight points in the final four minutes. Alex Bradley added 11 points, and Brandon Winford had 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

Lander made 26 of 60 shots from the floor (43 percent), 14 of 18 free throws (78 percent) and six of 15 from 3-point range (40 percent).

The Braves made 31 of 64 shots (48 percent), 10 of 15 free throws (67 percent) and 11 of 22 from behind the arc (50 percent) while out-rebounding Lander 42-31.

After Rose hit a pair of 3s and a layup to give the Braves a 14-10 lead with 13:28 left, Lander went on a 9-0 run. Lee hit a pair of free throws, Jareal Smith swished a 3 to give the Bearcats their first lead at 15-14, and Dermaine Smith made two free throws and added a spectacular reverse layup off Washington's steal for a 19-14 lead at the 11:51 mark.

After Pembroke missed four shots on one possession, Lee made a put-back to extend the Bearcats advantage to 28-19 at the six-minute mark. Three possessions later, Darius Carrier scored in the paint to give Lander its first double-digit lead at 30-19.

There was a flurry of action in the final minute of the first half with Pembroke outscoring the Bearcats 7-2 to pull within 37-33 at the intermission. Rose hit a 3 and Bradley made a fast-break layup for the Braves, Lander's Mario Pendarvis tapped in Panaggio's missed runner with 10 seconds left, and Winford tipped in Rose's missed trey attempt at the buzzer.

The Bearcats took a 44-39 lead with 17:36 left on Jareal Smith's fast-break layup. But Pembroke hit 10 unanswered points on two free throws by Ben Jacobs, a layup by Jacobs off a nice assist from Jihad Wright, and baskets by Rose, Wright and Pittman to take its first lead since the 13-minute mark of the first half at 49-44.

Lander answered the rally with Panaggio's 3 pulling the hosts within 52-51 and Lee's layup closing the gap to 56-55 with 11:53 to go. The Bearcats finally pulled even at 58-all at the 11-minute mark on another Panaggio 3.

Bradley's 3 put Pembroke back on top and Wright's jumper upped the lead to 64-60 with 8:40 left. Again, Lander responded as Washington's fast-break pass to a streaking Jareal Smith for a layup cut the margin to 64-63 with 7:52 to go, and Carrier's three-point play pulled the Bearcats even at 66-all at the seven-minute mark.

Lander had two chances to take the lead inside the five-minute mark but missed a layup opportunity on one possession and had a pair of shots rim out on its next possession. Then Pittman swished a 16-footer to give Pembroke a 71-68 advantage with 3:52 to go.

Ricardo Martin's tap-in pulled the Bearcats within one yet again at 71-70. But Pittman hit a pair of 3s to give the visitors a 77-70 lead with a little more than two minutes left. Rose made one of two free throws, extending the advantage to eight with 1:19 to go.

Rose's dunk gave the Braves their first double-digit lead of the game at 80-70 with one minute left.