GREENWOOD – Kiair Crouch scored 27 points and Tobiasz Hose hit the go-ahead free throw with four seconds left as the Lander Bearcats broke a four-game losing streak with a 69-66 Peach Belt Conference victory over Armstrong State Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena.

Lander improved to 14-4 overall and 6-4 in the Peach Belt. The Pirates fell to 5-11, 3-7.

The Bearcats trailed by six points with four minutes to go.

Crouch led Lander with 27 points and JR Washington added 18 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Scott Elder added eight points and four blocked shots for the Bearcats, while Crouch had four steals.

Emmanuel Tiluscar led Armstrong with 16 points and Cole Fountain added 12 points. Trey Suttles and Shema Sabiiti paced the Pirates with eight rebounds apiece.

Lander made 20 of 52 shots from the floor (39 percent), 24 of 36 free throws (67 percent) and five of 17 from 3-point range (29 percent).

Armstrong hit 24 of 60 shots (40 percent), 14 of 19 free throws (74 percent) and four of 14 from behind the arc (29 percent) while holding a 46-32 edge on the boards.

Crouch twice grabbed defensive rebounds and scored fast-break baskets, staking Lander to a 9-2 lead. Washington's bucket gave the Bearcats a 15-4 advantage with 13:53 left in the opening half.

Crouch reached double figures in points when he hit a short jumper that gave Lander a 21-10 lead with 7:46 left. But Suttles scored and Brian Brown nailed a 3, bringing Armstrong within 21-15 with 6:36 to go.

The Bearcat lead stayed between six and nine the rest of the half until Washington's four-point play with two seconds left gave Lander a 37-26 advantage at the break. Washington hit a 3, was fouled, and converted the free throw.

The Pirates scored seven unanswered points to open the second half, including Tiluscar's three-point play and Fountain's two baskets to pull within 37-33.

The Bearcats missed their first seven shots of the second half before Elder's 3 put them up 40-33 with 16:39 left.

Fountain and Tiluscar hit two free throws apiece and Tiluscar scored on a fast-break basket, pulling Armstrong within 42-41 with 14:20 to go.

Tiluscar scored inside and was fouled and had a chance to tie the game but missed the free throw, and Lander still led 46-45.

The Pirates tied it at 47 on Shaquiell Mitchell's two free throws with 10:26 left, and took the lead on Mitchell's basket at the 10:08 mark. Armstrong took a 53-48 advantage on Nicolas Scott's 3 and Tiluscar's free throw.

Crouch's three-point play and Mike Lee's free throws pulled Lander even at 53-all with 8:07 to go.

Tiluscar and Scott hit bank shots that gave the Pirates a 57-54 lead with 5:35 left. Suttles hit a 3 from the left side to extend their lead to 62-56 with 4:11 to go.

The Bearcats rallied within 62-60 on Hose's fast-break basket and Crouch's steal and layup with 2:39 left.

Sabiiti scored inside to put Armstrong back up by four. Ricardo Martin made one of two free throws, pulling Lander within 64-61 just inside the two-minute mark.

Martin's steal of an inbounds pass led to Crouch's jumper from near the free-throw line as the Bearcats closed within 64-63 with 1:41 to go.

Fountain's free throws increased Armstrong's lead to three with 1:12 to go. Crouch made one of two free throws to pull Lander within 66-64, then the Pirates turned the ball over. Crouch's driving layup tied the game with 41 seconds left.

Armstrong ran time off the shot clock before Tiluscar drove toward the basket but was called for an offensive foul for pushing off on Washington with 9.3 seconds left.

Lander called timeout with 6.2 seconds to go. Hose was fouled as he drove the baseline with four seconds left and made the first free throw for a 67-66 lead but missed the second, leaving 3.5 seconds to go.

Tiluscar threw the ball in but it went out of bounds off the Pirates with 2.5 seconds left. Armstrong was also called for a technical foul and Washington made one of two free throws to make it 68-66 with 2.5 seconds left. Sergio Smith added one more free throw with 1.5 seconds to go and Armstrong missed a desperation shot at the buzzer.