GREENWOOD – Hometown player Jarryd Coleman hit a pair of 3-pointers to start a key 11-0 run in the second half, helping the Lander Bearcats pull away from Peach Belt Conference rival USC Aiken 71-59 Wednesday night during Rauch Wise Day at Horne Arena.

Lander improved to 12-4 overall and lead the Peach Belt Eastern Division at 6-1. The Pacers fell to 3-11, 1-6.

The Bearcats had lost 14 of their previous 16 games to USC Aiken.

Before pre-game warmups, Lander honored long-time basketball radio announcer Rauch Wise for his 30 years (1985-2015) behind the mic.

New announcer Rixon Lane moved aside for Wise for a three-minute stretch of announcing late in the first half, and Wise seemed to bring the Bearcats some luck.

Travis Fredimon led Lander with 14 points, JR Washington and Rahu Purdie added 13 points apiece, and former Greenwood High School player Coleman had 12 points on four 3s in six attempts.

Scott Elder paced the Bearcats with nine rebounds and four blocked shots, Washington had seven boards and a team-leading six steals, and Purdie and Washington paced the team with three assists apiece.

Lander made 23 of 49 shots from the floor (47 percent), 17 of 22 free throws (77 percent) and eight of 17 from 3-point range (47 percent) while out-rebounding Aiken 30-27.

Keith Belfield led the Pacers with 18 points, making six of 10 shots from behind the arc. Arbry Butler added 13 points and eight rebounds, while Tavares Sledge contributed 13 points and four assists.

Aiken made 21 of 49 floor attempts (43 percent), four of seven free throws (57 percent), and 13 of 31 from behind the arc (42 percent).

Lander got off to a fast start thanks to Fredimon's 10 points in two minutes. Fredimon made a 3 from the right wing, tying the game at 3 and starting a 12-0 run. Fredimon grabbed a defensive rebound and drove for a layup for a 5-3 Bearcats lead. After Washington made a pair of free throws, Fredimon hit another 3 from the right corner, then intercepted a pass and made a driving layup for a 12-3 advantage with 16:44 left in the opening half.

But Aiken got back into the game on Sledge's personal 11-0 run, including a pair of free throws and three 3s to give the Pacers a 14-12 lead at the nine-minute mark.

Purdie's jumper ended Lander's eight-minute scoring drought, tying the game at 14 with 8:38 left.

Wise moved behind the mic at the seven-minute mark with the score tied at 16, and the Bearcats would take a 30-22 lead with him at the microphone. Washington hit a jump shot, Tobiasz Hose made three layups including a nice reverse layup off a pass from Purdie, and Coleman swished a pair of long 3-pointers during Wise's stretch of announcing.

Belfield made three 3s as the Pacers used a 9-3 run to pull within 33-31 with 1:11 left. Fredimon's fade-away jumper from the free-throw line with seven seconds to go gave Lander a 35-31 lead at the break.

The Bearcats opened the second half with an 8-0 run over the first three minutes for a 43-31 lead, with Washington making a reverse layup and a 3, and Elder adding a basket in the paint and a free throw.

Jevon Patton made a pair of 3s while Hendrix Emu and Belfield hit one apiece as Aiken used a 13-2 run to pull within 45-44 with 13:17 left. But Purdie answered with a 3 to push Lander's lead to four, and Coleman's third and fourth 3s of the game made it 56-47 with 10:35 left.

Coleman's 3s started an 11-0 run, with Elder adding a three-point play, and Tyree King being credited with a goal-tending bucket for a 61-47 advantage with 8:07 to go. The run ended when Sledge scored inside, stopping Aiken's five-plus minute scoring drought.

Hose's fade-away jumper off the glass gave Lander a 64-52 lead at the four-minute mark.

Baskets by Patton and Butler pulled the Pacers back within single digits at 64-56 inside three minutes to go.

Washington's two free throws with 1:15 left restored the Bearcats' double-digit lead at 66-56. Fredimon and King added free throws in the final minute to put the game away.