GREENWOOD – Lander freshman guard Kiair Crouch made his first seven shots from the floor and scored 28 points, leading the Bearcats to a 99-84 Peach Belt Conference victory over UNC Pembroke in a battle of unbeatens Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena.

Lander (8-0) is off to its second best start in school history, trailing only the 1979-80 squad that opened 9-0. The Bearcats are 1-0 in the Peach Belt.

The Braves fell to 7-1, 0-1.

The Bearcats faced adversity against their toughest opponent to date, trailing 11-2 in the early minutes and being down five late in the first half. But Lander used a 13-0 run bridging the first and second halves, stretched its lead into double figures, and held on for the statement victory.

After the slow start, Lander outscored the Braves 97-73. The Bearcats scored 59 points in the second half.

Crouch made nine of 10 shots from the floor and seven of nine free throws to lead Lander. Crouch's 28 points came in only 20 minutes of action.

JR Washington added 17 points for the Bearcats, making four of eight 3-pointers. Tobiasz Hose contributed 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Ricardo Martin posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Scott Elder added 12 points on six of eight shooting from the floor, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots for Lander. Alen Hardy added five assists for the Bearcats.

Quamain Rose led UNC Pembroke with 26 points, connecting on 10 of 19 shots. Ben Jacobs added 17 points on six of 10 shooting and led the Braves with seven rebounds. Brandon Watts scored 16 points and Brandon Winford 13 points.

Lander made 34 of 69 shots from the floor (49 percent), 23 of 31 free throws (74 percent) and eight of 18 from 3-point range (44 percent) while dominating the boards, out-rebounding UNC Pembroke 49-32.

The Braves made 28 of 65 shots (43 percent), 23 of 27 free throws (85 percent) and five of 17 from behind the arc (29 percent).

Watts and Rose made 3s and Tyler Kordenbrock scored inside, staking UNC Pembroke to an 11-2 lead with 16:32 left. But Lander slowly crawled back into the game, drawing within 13-12 on Hose's layup with 13:39 to go.

Washington's 3 from the top of the key tied it for the first time at 20-all with 11:19 to go. Crouch gave the Bearcats their first lead when his mid-range jumper made it 26-24 with 9:25 left.

Crouch grabbed a defensive rebound, raced up the court, stopped at the free throw line and swished a jump shot, giving Lander a 30-29 lead with 7:18 to go.

Winford grabbed a back-court steal, made a layup, was fouled, and converted a three-point play to hand Pembroke a 34-30 lead with 5:50 left.

Lander had missed five consecutive shots before Mike Lee scored on consecutive trips, pulling the hosts within 34-32 and 36-34. But Pittman's 3 pushed Pembroke's lead to 39-34 with 1:34 left.

Elder tapped in an offensive rebound with 42 seconds to go and Washington hit a 3 with just two seconds left, rallying the Bearcats to a 40-39 halftime lead.

Lander opened the second half strong with Elder scoring on a put-back, Washington hitting a 3 from the left side and Hose making two free throws for a 47-39 lead with 18:49 left. Hose's free throws completed a 13-0 run dating back to the first half.

Watts grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to pull the Braves within 51-47 at the 17-minute mark. But Lander went back up by eight when Martin scored on consecutive trips, first on a put-back and then with a pair of free throws to make it 55-47 with 16:16 to go.

Hose's three-point play gave the Bearcats their largest lead of the game at 60-51 with 13:17 left. Lander took its first double-digit advantage on Washington's two free throws, making it 64-53 with 11:43 left. Washington added a 3, extending the lead to 14.

After Rose's jumper just inside the arc pulled Pembroke back within single digits at 67-58, Crouch put together a 6-0 run. The freshman hit a 3-pointer, then made a reverse layup, was fouled and converted a three-point play for a 73-58 lead just inside the 10-minute mark.

The Braves were within single digits again when Winford hit four of four free throws and Jacobs scored, pulling within with 73-64 with 8:36 to go.

Crouch's 3 from the top of the key gave Lander a 79-68 advantage with 6:44 to go.

Jacobs made one of two free throws to cut Pembroke's deficit to 79-72 at the six-minute mark. But Crouch struck again, hitting another 3 for an 84-72 lead with 5:09 to go.

Elder's basket gave the Bearcats an 88-74 lead with 3:28 left.

Winford and Pittman each hit two of two free throws as Pembroke was within 89-78 with 2:29 to go. But Crouch hit two free throws and Lee launched a successful 3 from the left side for a 94-78 advantage with 1:25 left.