MONTEVALLO, Ala. – JR Washington scored 17 points but the Lander Bearcats fell short in perhaps their final game at the University of Montevallo, losing their Peach Belt Conference opener to the Falcons 77-69 Saturday afternoon at Trussmark Arena.

Montevallo will be moving back to the Gulf South Conference in 2017-18.

Lander fell to 3-5 overall, 0-1 in the PBC. The Falcons are 6-1, 1-0.

Old Dominion University transfer Javonte Douglas had a huge game for Montevallo, posting a double-double with game highs in points (33) and rebounds (20). Douglas had 17 defensive boards.

Rahu Purdie added 15 points and a team-leading five assists for the Bearcats. TJ Knight led Lander with six rebounds while also blocking two shots.

Chris Tate added eight points, five rebounds and two blocked shots for the Bearcats.

Jamaar Taylor added 17 points while Tony Bagtas contributed 12 points and a game-high six assists for the Falcons.

Montevallo out-rebounded the Bearcats 41-33 and had a 40-24 advantage in points in the paint.

The first half was tight as Purdie's 3 from the top of the key with a defender in his face tied the game at 19-all with 10 minutes left. Srdjan Ivic's 3 gave Lander a 30-26 lead at the six-minute mark, and Jarryd Coleman's 3 had the Bearcats up 35-31 with 2:40 to go.

Douglas's tip-in with four seconds left pulled the Falcons within 37-35 at halftime.

Lander was 8-for-14 from 3-point range in the first half (Washington, Purdie and Ivic two apiece) and there were five ties and five lead changes in the opening stanza.

A.J. Luke's free throws gave Montevallo a 65-59 lead with 5:23 left. But Washington hit a long 3 to pull the Bearcats within 65-62. After a pair of Falcons turnovers, Purdie hit a 3 that bounced off the rim and in to tie it at 65-all just inside the four-minute mark.

Luke scored inside to put Montevallo back on top, 67-65, with 3:30 to go. But Washington took a pass from Purdie and scored inside for a 67-all tie inside the three-minute mark.

The Falcons regained the lead on Douglas's 3 from the right side, giving them a 70-67 advantage with 2:08 to go.

After Lander's Jordan Dingle missed an inside shot high off the glass and teammate Tate misfired one possession later, Montevallo rebounded Tate's shot, missed a layup but got an offensive rebound that enabled them to run the clock inside 40 seconds to go. Bagtas hit two free throws for a 72-67 lead with 37 seconds left.

After Purdie missed a shot, Bagtas hit two more free throws with 26 seconds to go for a seven-point lead.

Dingle made two free throws to pull the Bearcats within 74-69 with 23 seconds left. Bagtas hit one of two free throws, keeping Lander within two possessions. But Purdie's 3-point attempt hit the front of the rim with 11 seconds left, and Montevallo added two more free throws.