COLUMBUS, Ga. – Georgia Southwestern trailed almost the entire second half before taking its first lead with one minute left, and then eliminated the Lander Bearcats from the Peach Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament 74-70 Friday night in quarterfinal action at Columbus State University's Frank G. Lumpkin Center.

Lander's chances of qualifying for the NCAA Division II National Tournament likely ended with the loss as the Bearcats fell to 17-12.

The Hurricanes improved to 20-9 and advanced to the PBC semifinals to face the winner of Friday night's USC Aiken versus Columbus State game. Montevallo and Georgia Regents will meet in Saturday's other semifinal.

Lander was the third seed in the PBC's East Division while Georgia Southwestern was the second seed in the West.

The men's championship game is set for 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Dermaine Smith led the Bearcats with 21 points, making six of 11 shots from the floor. All Peach Belt guard Michael Panaggio added 17 points and five assists for Lander while Jareal Smith scored all 10 of his points in the second half. The two Smiths shared team high rebounding honors with six apiece.

It was likely the final game for seniors Panaggio, Jareal Smith, Mario Pendarvis and Darius Carrier.

Georgia Southwestern's Jamon Hawkins led all scorers with 26 points, including eight in the game's final four minutes. The 6-foot-10 Daryl Davis added 17 points and eight rebounds, Alan Arnett scored 16 points, and Johathan Brooks was the game's top rebounder with 10.

The Bearcats made 20 of 51 shots from the floor (39 percent), 28 of 41 free throws (68 percent) and only two of 14 from 3-point range (14 percent).

The Hurricanes hit 26 of 52 shots (50 percent), 17 of 24 free throws (71 percent) including six of eight in the game's final one minute and three seconds, and five of 11 from behind the arc (45 percent) while having a 35-31 edge on the boards.

After Georgia Southwestern scored the first basket of the second half to pull within one point, the Bearcats scored seven unanswered points for a 43-35 lead including a JR Washington 3 from the right corner and Jareal Smith's first four points of the game.

Jareal Smith made a driving layup to give Lander a 45-39 lead at the 15-minute mark, and he converted a driving layup for a 47-41 advantage with 11:36 to go.

Carrier's base-line jumper pushed the Bearcats lead to 51-43 at the 10-minute mark. Mike Lee's put-back gave Lander a 55-47 advantage with 8:45 left, matching the team's largest lead of the game.

But the Hurricanes battled back, pulling within 56-53 on Arnett's layup with 7:15 to go.

Dermaine Smith's layup pushed Lander's lead to 60-54 at the six-minute mark.

A dunk by Georgia Southwestern's Brooks cut the Bearcats lead to 60-58. But Dermaine Smith took the ball right at Davis and fouled him out, and made one free throw for a 65-60 lead at the 4:14 mark.

Hawkins hit a 3-pointer – his first points of the second half – to pull the Canes within 65-63 with 3:46 left.

Dermaine Smith's two free throws gave Lander a 67-63 advantage with 2:57 left. But Hawkins hit a long 3, pulling Georgia Southwestern within 67-66 with 2:45 left.

Jareal Smith made one of two free throws for a 68-66 lead at the two-minute mark. But Arnett pulled the Canes into a tie for the first time in the second half when he scored with 1:45 to go.

Georgia Southwestern took its first lead of the second half when Arnett made one of two free throws, putting the Canes up 69-68 at the 1:03 mark.

A Lander turnover with 44 seconds left was costly, and Arnett made two free throws for a 71-68 lead with 21 seconds left.

The Bearcats committed another turnover and Hawkins added two more free throws for a 73-68 advantage with 14 seconds left.

Panaggio's layup pulled Lander within 73-70 with seven seconds left. The Bearcats nearly stole the inbounds pass, but Kevin Burnell was fouled and made one of two free throws with six seconds left to clinch the victory.

The Bearcats started slowly, missing nine of their first 11 shots from the floor and falling behind 13-4 on a Hawkins jumper at the 12:30 mark.

But Lander used a 13-3 run to take its first lead of the opening half, with Panaggio's long jumper giving the Bearcats a 17-16 advantage with 5:44 to go.

Down 22-19, Pendarvis hit a 3 to pull Lander into a 22-all tie, Denzel Myers hit one free throw and Lee nailed two free throws giving the Bearcats a 25-22 advantage at the four-minute mark.

The Hurricanes twice regained the lead on baskets by Hawkins, who had 18 points in the first half. But Panaggio hit four of four free throws as Lander regained a 31-29 advantage with 1:26 to go.

Carrier and Panaggio hit buckets in the final minute of the first half, staking the Bearcats to a 36-33 halftime lead. Lander led despite making only 13 of 23 free throws in the first half.