YOUNG HARRIS, GA. - The Lander men's basketball team never trailed in the second half and was able to hold off Young Harris to win 95-85 in their Peach Belt Conference opener on Thursday afternoon inside the YHC Basketball Arena.

Elijah Alston led the Bearcats with 18 points as Lander improves to 7-2, 1-0 in the PBC with the victory. The Lander senior finished the game shooting 5-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-9 from three-point range.

DeShundre Rucker added 12 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one block for Lander.

Four other players reached double figures for the game as LaRaymond Spivery and Sidney Robinson each scored 11 points. Tyler Brevard and Deon Berrien each added 10 points for the game as well.

The Bearcats led for 35:06 of game time, but the Mountain Lions kept fighting throughout as Lander's largest lead in the game was 19 points. The Bearcats took a 47-36 lead into halftime.

Lander would come out of the break on a 10-2 run and extend their lead. The Mountain Lions would cut the Bearcat lead to 68-58 with 8:38 left in the game. The Mountain Lions would continue to fight the rest of the game, but could never get over the hump as Lander had an answer every time Young Harris threatened to make a comeback.

The Bearcats collected a season-high 38 defensive rebounds as they outrebounded the Mountain Lions 52-32.

Young Harris (2-7, 0-1 PBC) was led by Brian Harper who scored 18 points. The Mountain Lions entered the game ranked eighth in the country in three-point field goals per game, as they shot 12-of-38 (35%) from long range.

Lander returns to action Saturday when it plays at Columbus State. The game is scheduled to start at 3:30 pm.

#cLawsUp | @LanderMBB