GREENWOOD – JR Washington scored 23 points and senior Ricardo Martin nearly had a triple-double in what was likely his final home game as the Lander Bearcats held off a furious Flagler College rally for an 87-82 Peach Belt Conference victory Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena.

Lander improved to 17-7 overall and 9-7 in the Peach Belt.

Flagler fell to 9-14, 4-12.

The Bearcats led 76-53 with 3:52 left but saw Flagler score 29 points in the final three minutes and 43 seconds to amazingly draw within a possession with under a minute to go.

Washington scored 23 points on eight of 12 shooting from the floor.

Martin, playing at home for the final time unless Lander is able to host a Peach Belt Conference Tournament game, contributed 18 points while leading the Bearcats with nine assists and eight rebounds. Martin, like Washington, was eight for 12 from the floor.

Tobiasz Hose also had 18 points for Lander and shared game-high rebounding honors with eight. Hose made seven of 11 shots.

Kiair Crouch added 10 points for the Bearcats, making eight of nine free throws.

Lander senior Mike Lee added seven important points in likely his final home game.

Martin and Lee were honored during a Senior Day ceremony after the game.

Jerrell Oxendine paced Flagler with 20 points, Matt Clark scored 19, Dennis Diaz 13, Kessler Bell 12 and Lyle Manigo 10. Keshaun Hamilton paced the Saints with seven rebounds.

The Bearcats shot well, making 31 of 54 from the floor (57 percent), 10 of 12 free throws (83 percent) and four of 13 from 3-point range (31 percent).

The Saints hit 23 of 62 shots (37 percent), 13 of 14 free throws (93 percent) and eight of 22 from behind the arc (36 percent).

Lander had a 42-28 edge on the boards.

The Bearcats made five of their first seven shots from the floor, using a 7-0 run to take a 12-3 lead with 15:54 left. Scott Elder hit a 3 from the top of the key, Hose dunked off Martin's steal, and Hose nailed a 3.

Diaz and Bell made 3s, and Hamilton added a layup as Flagler pulled within 14-11 with 12:28 to go.

But the Bearcats went on a 20-3 run to build a 34-17 lead with 4:34 left. Crouch and Martin converted three-point plays during the run, Washington scored twice including a breakaway dunk, Hose scored off an inbounds pass from Washington and also on a reverse layup, and Elder, Asger Hjorth and Martin added baskets in the paint.

After Washington hit a 3, Hose made a free throw on Lander's next possession for the team's largest lead of the first half at 19 points, 42-23, with 1:38 left.

Oxendine's basket in the final seconds of the first half pulled the Saints within 42-27 at the intermission.

Oxendine's 3 cut Flagler's deficit to 46-32 with 17:23 left. But Lander scored seven unanswered points, including a pair of baskets by Washington, to build a 53-32 advantage at the 14-minute mark.

Flagler scored eight unanswered points including a pair of 3s by Clark to cut the visitor deficit to 57-44 with 10:34 left.

Lee's three-point play ended the run, extending Lander's lead to 60-44 with 9:31 to go.

Oxendine's free throws cut the Saints deficit to 62-48 with 7:38 left and after Flagler failed to convert a steal, the Bearcats seemingly put the game away with seven unanswered points. Washington hit an open 3 from the top of the key, Lee made a driving layup, and Sergio Smith swished a short jumper for a 69-48 lead with 6:05 to go.

Washington converted a three-point play, Martin scored in the paint, and Washington added two free throws for a 76-53 advantage with 3:52 left.

But Flagler stormed back quickly with 14 unanswered points including four free throws, Diaz's three-point play, Clark's 3, and Manigo's back-to-back baskets. Manigo's second basket made it 76-67 with 2:32 left.

Crouch's two free throws ended the run, but Diaz made a 3 and Oxendine scored in the paint to cut the Saints deficit to 78-72 with 1:39 to go.

Crouch added another free throw, but Flagler kept rallying, with Diaz making two free throws and Manigo hitting a layup off Nick Grier's steal to pull the Saints within a possession at 79-76 with 51 seconds left.

Washington made the second of two free throw attempts for a point-point lead, and Hose scored on a breakaway dunk off Martin's defensive rebound as Lander built its advantage to 82-76 with 21 seconds left.

Hose and Crouch made two free throws each as the Bearcats held on despite three more Flagler baskets in the final 16 seconds.