AMERICUS, Ga. – Tobiasz Hose netted 23 points off the bench as the Lander men's basketball team defeated Georgia Southwestern, 77-70, on Saturday night in a Peach Belt Conference tilt.

Lander improves to 9-2 overall, 3-0 in the PBC, while Georgia Southwestern falls to 5-4, 1-1.

The victory was the fifth consecutive win for the Bearcats and their sixth win in six tries on the road.

Hose led the Bearcats with 23 points on eight of 11 shooting from the floor and grabbed five rebounds. JR Washington and Rahu Purdie each added 13 points, while Scott Elder scored six points and collected a team-high eight rebounds.

Adam Thoseby led Georgia Southwestern with 23 points on nine of 15 shooting. Brandon Price and Damien Leonard each netted 15 points, while Terence Johnson paced the Hurricanes with eight rebounds. 

The Bearcats made 26 of 58 shots from the floor (45 percent), 21 of 27 free throws (78 percent) and four of 12 from 3-point range (33 percent).

Georgia Southwestern hit 26 of 56 shots (44 percent), six of 10 free throws (60 percent) and 12 of 26 from behind the arc (46 percent).

Lander outrebounded the Hurricanes, 44-28.

The Bearcats took a 37-31 lead on a 3-pointer from Washington with 1:52 to play in the first half and extended the lead to 42-34 on a Washington layup 36 seconds before halftime.

Lander held Georgia Southwestern without a point for the opening three minutes of the second half. The Hurricanes trimmed the deficit to 46-37 on a 3-pointer from Leonard with 16:58 to play. 

Hose scored 11 points over a seven-minute span midway through the second half and Tyree King's layup at the 6:05 mark gave the Bearcats a 70-58 advantage. A pair of free throws from Price with 1:59 to play would get the Hurricanes within six points, but Washington connected on long range on Lander's next offensive possession to put the game away. 

The Bearcats return to Finis Horne Arena to host Paine in a non-conference matchup at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 30th.