GREENWOOD – In a game that featured 19 ties and 17 lead changes, the nationally ranked Lander Bearcats finally lost their first game of the season Saturday falling to Peach Belt Conference rival Georgia Regents University Augusta 97-88 in overtime at Horne Arena.

Lander entered the day as one of only six unbeaten teams in NCAA Division II.

The Bearcats fell to 13-1 overall and 5-1 in the PBC. The 13-0 start was the best in school history.

The Jaguars improved to 11-4, 3-3.

Lander is ranked No. 13 in the D2SIDA national poll and 22nd in the NABC rankings.

The Lander men and women had swept the previous five Peach Belt double-headers this season while winning a combined 26 games in a row, including 13 consecutive victories for the women who beat GRU in Saturday's opener. The Lander teams are now a combined 26-3.

Tobiasz Hose led the Bearcats with 26 points and nine rebounds. Kiair Crouch added 16 points and paced Lander with seven assists.

Mike Lee added 13 points, Scott Elder and Ricardo Martin 11 points apiece, and JR Washington 10 points for the Bearcats. Elder made five of seven shots from the floor before fouling out.

GRU's Keshun Sherrill scored 25 of his game-high 29 points in the second half and overtime, making 10 of 17 shots from the floor. It was Sherrill's driving layup with two seconds left that sent the game into overtime.

Devon Wright-Nelson added 25 points and a team-high eight rebounds, making 10 of 14 shots from the floor for the Jaguars.

Devonte Thomas scored 15 points for GRU while D'Angelo Boyce added eight points and a game-high nine assists.

Lander made 27 of 65 shots from the floor (42 percent), 28 of 38 free throws (74 percent) and six of 22 from 3-point range (27 percent).

The Jaguars hit 34 of 56 shots from the field (61 percent), 24 of 37 free throws (65 percent) and five of 13 from behind the arc (39 percent) while holding a 37-36 edge on the boards.

Washington's 3 gave Lander a 6-0 lead, Elder's first 3 of the season put the Bearcats up 11-8, and Crouch's 3 upped the advantage to 22-15 with 11:43 left.

But GRU scored seven unanswered points to tie the game at 22-all with 9:12 to go on Henry McCarthy's two free throws.

Lee converted a three-point play and Washington made another 3, giving the Bearcats a 28-23 lead at the 7:36 mark. But Thomas and Boyce made 3s to pull GRU closer, and the Jaguars tied it at 32 with 4:34 left on Vlad Cobzaru's free throw.

Wright-Nelson gave GRU its first lead of the game at 36-34 with 2:16 to go. There were five lead changes and two ties in the final two minutes of the first half with Hose scoring at the buzzer, handing the Bearcats a 41-40 lead at the break.

The lead changed hands five more times in the first two minutes of the second half, then Thomas's 3 gave the Jaguars a little breathing room with a 49-45 lead with 17:38 to go.

Lander used a 7-0 run including a pair of baskets by Hose to move back ahead 52-49 at the 14-minute mark.

GRU's Sherrill and the Bearcats' Lee exchanged 3s, leaving the game tied at 56 with 10:50 left. But Wright-Nelson scored to give the Jaguars their biggest lead of the game to that point at 62-57 with 9:28 to go.

Lee's three-point play tied the game at 64 at the eight-minute mark.

Wright-Nelson's three-point play and Thomas's 3 gave GRU a 72-66 lead, its largest of the game, with 6:35 left.

But Martin hit a jumper from the left baseline and Washington nailed a 3 from the top of the key, bringing the Bearcats within 72-71 with 4:20 to go. After Wright-Nelson hit one of two free throws, Hose drove in for a layup to tie the game at 73 with 3:33 left.

After GRU's Boyce made one of two free throws, Crouch hit two free throws giving Lander a 75-74 lead with 3:05 to go.

Crouch came up with another big play, stealing the ball from Boyce as the Bearcats were on the verge of forcing a 35-second violation, was fouled, and made one of two free throws for a 76-74 advantage with 2:28 left.

Thomas made two free throws to tie the game at 76 with 2:05 left. Lander wound the shot clock down and while Martin missed a jumper, Hose tapped it in from the left side of the basket to put the Bearcats back on top 78-76 with 1:41 to go.

Martin's defensive rebound returned the ball to Lander with the lead and the clock winding down under a minute. But the Bearcats were called for an offensive foul, giving the ball back to GRU. Sherrill drove down the lane for a game-tying shot and was fouled with 39 seconds left, and he made one of two free throws to pull the visitors within 78-77.

Crouch hit two free throws, extending Lander's lead to 80-77 with 28 seconds left.

Sherrill quickly took the ball to the basket for a layup, pulling the Jaguars within 80-79 with 19 seconds to go.

Crouch made one of two free throws for an 81-79 lead with 12.8 seconds left. The Jaguars, now with a chance to tie or win, put the ball in the hands of Sherrill who drove right to the basket for a game-tying layup and was fouled. With a chance to put GRU up with two seconds left, the 87 percent free throw shooter coming into the game missed the potential go-ahead free throw. Time ran out, putting Lander in overtime for the first time this season.

Three times, the Jaguars took two-point leads in overtime including a pair of baskets by Wright-Nelson. But the Bearcats came back to tie all three times, with Martin's two free throws tying it at 83, Hose's basket at 85, and Crouch's jumper at 87 with 2:52 left. That would be the 19th and final tie of the game.

Sherrill made one of two free throws, putting GRU back on top at 88-87 with 2:15 left. After Lander missed a pair of potential go-ahead shots, the Jaguars got the ball back and Sherrill was fouled again. This time, he made both free throws for a 90-87 advantage with 1:45 to go.

After Hose missed a shot, GRU got the rebound and wound some clock, then Wright-Nelson scored a crucial bucket to give the Jaguars a 92-87 advantage at the one-minute mark.

Lander's Sergio Smith and GRU's Thomas exchanged one free throw apiece, leaving the Jaguars up 93-88 with 39 seconds left. But the Bearcats were unable to make any more buckets, and Thomas and Sherrill each made two free throws to put the game away.