Bearcats begin regular season with trip to Augusta

GREENWOOD – After an exhibition game against Div. I UT Chattanooga that saw the Bearcats fall 99-63, Lander will look to pick up its first win of the 2020-21 season with a trip to PBC foe Augusta on December 2 to begin the regular season.

QUICK HITTERS

Where to Watch: https://pbcsportsnetwork.com/
Live stats: https://landerbearcats.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/boxscores/20201202_okvq.xml
First Met: Nov. 29, 1969 (92-78 Augusta)
Last Met: Feb. 5, 2020 ( 77-71 Augusta)
Last Five For Lander: 1-5
Next Game For Lander: Dec. 12, 2020 @ USC Aiken (3:30 pm)

STORYLINES

The Bearcats saw three players score in double figures against the Mocs, with junior Jermaine Patterson leading the way with 18 points and seven rebounds. Redshirt junior Zane Rankin went 4-for-4 from beyond the arc and sunk two free throws to finish with 14 points off the bench. Junior Jared Sherfield scored 10 points and hauled in five rebounds.
This will be the season opener for both the Lander Bearcats and Augusta Jaguars and will count as a non-conference game.
Fans can watch and listen to this contest on the PBC Sports Network.
The Bearcats are entering their 53rd season of action. In season openers, the Blue and Gold are 37-15 and are currently riding a six-season streak of winning the season opener. Lander had matched this streak just once before, winning six season openers in a row between 1978 through 1983.
The Bearcats began last season with a 78-72 victory over Anderson (S.C.) as part of the Southeast Region Conference Challenge.
Lander was ranked in the top-100 in many categories last season, including field-goal percentage (40), free throw attempts (55), free throws made (52), rebound margin (7), scoring margin (53), scoring offense (34), steals per game (61), three pt fg defense (40), three-point field-goal percentage (35), total blocks (92) and won-lost percentage (T-40).
Although putting Finis Horne Arena on lockdown last season, the Bearcats' weakness was the road, going 7-6.
Lander and Augusta are scheduled to play four times this season, with another non-conference match set to be played in Greenwood on December 20.
The Bearcats and Jaguars split the season series last season, with both teams winning their respective home contest. The Bearcats took the first game in Greenwood last season 88-82 while they lost a close game in Augusta 77-71.
Augusta was among the best in the PBC last season, finishing with a cool 21-8 overall record while going 16-4 in conference.
Much like the Bearcats, Augusta protected its homecourt fiercely. The Jaguars went 12-3 at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
Augusta will be without its leading scorer from last season, with Rafael Monteiro graduating. He scored 18.4 points per game in 20 games played with 19 of those being starts. He also shot 57.9 percent from the field.
All three of the Jaguars' next leading scorers return, with Tyshaun Crawford averaging 14.8 points per game. Troy Cracknell was next with 13.8 points per game and Miguel Arnold averaging 12.5 points per game.
The last game Augusta played last season was in the PBC quarterfinals where it lost to Georgia College 85-75. Lander and Augusta were supposed to battle it out once more in the NCAA Tournament First Round in Harrogate, Tenn.