AIKEN, S.C. – The Lander men's basketball team used a solid second half to defeat USC Aiken 65-54 inside the Convocation Center Saturday afternoon. The win clinches the number three seed in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament.

The win moved the Bearcats to 20-8 overall and 14-6 in the PBC, the best regular-season record for Lander since 1998-99. Head coach Drew Richards has the most regular-season wins as a first-year head coach at Lander.

With the Bearcats now holding a 12-1 home record, it is the second the most home wins since 2011-12 when they went 14-1 in Greenwood.

Deon Berrien led the Bearcats with 13 points and seven rebounds. Sidney Robinson added 11 points.

In a back-and-forth battle that featured 12 lead changes and six ties, the Bearcats were first on the scoreboard after a Tyler Brevard three-pointer with 18:52 on the clock. While the first half saw the score tied four times and the lead changed nine times, the Bearcats went into halftime down 27-26

The second half started as the first ended with neither the Bearcats or Pacers gaining a clear advantage. USC Aiken built a 48-41 lead with 9:04 to go, but the Bearcats responded with a 16-5 run to take a 57-53 lead with 4:50 to play. The Bearcat would allow only one point the rest of the game.

Lander now moves on to the PBC Tournament. The tournament quarterfinals will take place on Mar. 4 inside Finis Horne Arena. The semifinals and finals will take place at the site of the highest remaining women's seed.

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