GREENWOOD – JR Washington scored 21 points and Tobiasz Hose had seven key points in the final three minutes as the Lander Bearcats opened their men's basketball season by holding off NAIA top-ranked Emmanuel College 81-77 in the Bearcat Classic Friday night at Horne Arena.

Lander (1-0) hosts Queens Saturday afternoon at 4 o'clock in the second day of the Bearcat Classic.

Emmanuel, which finished 33-4 last year and reached the NAIA Division I national championship game, meets Georgia College Saturday at 2 in the Bearcat Classic.

Lander had a 16-point lead in the first half and was up 13 at halftime. But the Lions closed within a possession of the lead several times in the second half.

Several made their Bearcats debuts Friday, including Hose who hit seven of eight free throws and finished with 13 points. Kiair Crouch, Shavanno Cooper, Marco Morales and Sergio Smith also made their first Lander appearances.

Crouch and Cooper had impressive debuts, each coming off the bench to score eight points. Scott Elder had nine points, a game-high 10 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Bearcats. Mike Lee added nine points.

NAIA All-American Michael Stanley led the Lions from Franklin Springs, Ga., with 21 points including 11 of 17 free throws.

Luke Miller added 17 points for Emmanuel while Steven Guinchard had 14 points including four of six 3s. Zach Lillie and Stanley paced the Lions with six rebounds apiece.

The Bearcats had a big 50-31 rebounding edge.

Lander took control of the first half with an early 15-3 run. After Emmanuel's Patrick McCray scored to pull the visitors within 8-6 with 17:29 left, the Bearcats dominated the next six minutes.

Hose's steal led to a Washington layup to start the run, Crouch scored after Elder blocked a shot, Crouch grabbed a steal and made a reverse layup, Washington converted a three-point play, Lee scored on a put-back, Morales hit a jumper, and Cooper made a driving layup to put Lander up 23-9 with 10:41 to go.

The Lions cut a 14-point deficit to seven, 24-17, on Guinchard's 3-pointer at the nine-minute mark. Emmanuel continued to hang within single digits, closing within 32-24 on Stanley's free throw with six minutes left.

But the Bearcats scored the next eight points, taking their largest lead of the game. Hose made a pair of free throws, and Washington, Lee and Hose scored to make it 40-24 with 2:18 left in the first half. Lander led 40-27 at halftime.

Guinchard's 3-pointer from the left corner closed Emmanuel within single digits again, 45-36, with 16:35 to go. Miller's 3 from the same corner and Stanley's fast-break layup off Johan Pennerat's steal pulled the Lions within 50-44 at the 14-minute mark.

Lander responded to the rally by calling a timeout and then pushed its lead back into double figures, 54-44, on Alen Hardy's jumper and Crouch's driving layup after he stole a bad pass. Cooper's jumper upped the lead to 11, 59-48, with 10:38 left.

But Emmanuel scored seven unanswered points to cut its deficit to the smallest since early in the first half at four points, 59-55, with 9:08 left. Miller hit two free throws, Lillie made a dunk, and Miller swished a 3 to complete the run.

The Lions closed their gap even further on Miller's two free throws, making it 64-61 with 6:43 to go. Emmanuel pulled within 68-66 with 5:08 left on Miller's 3.

The Lions had a chance to take their first lead since early in the opening half, but Washington stole the ball in the paint and called a timeout to give Lander possession with 4:06 to go. Then he hit a 3-pointer from near the top of the key for a 73-68 lead with 3:46 left.

Hose scored on a tap-in after rebounding his own missed shot twice, making it 75-70 at the three-minute mark. But Guinchard's layup cut Emmanuel's deficit back to three.

Hardy made one of two free throws, the Bearcats got a defensive stop, and Hose scored in the paint for a 78-72 advantage at the one-minute mark. Hose added two free throws, making it 80-72 with 27 seconds left.

But just when the lead seemed safe, back came the Lions one more time. Stanley made a layup and was fouled but missed the free throw. However, Emmanuel grabbed the offensive rebound and Guinchard hit another 3, pulling the visitors within 80-77 with 15 seconds left.

Hose made one of two free throws, extending the lead to 81-77 with 13 seconds to go for the game's final point.