GREENWOOD - The Lander men's basketball team got a career-high 25 points from Deon Berrien as the Bearcats broke open a close game midway through the first half and beat Peach Belt Conference rival Francis Marion 90-79 Wednesday night at Horne Arena.

Lander improved to 4-3 overall, 2-1 in the PBC.

The Patriots fell to 1-2 overall, also 1-2 in league games.

The Bearcats used a 25-6 run in the first half to break a 26-all tie and shot 62 percent from the floor in the first half. 

Berrien posted his third consecutive double-double, making nine of 14 shots from the floor including four of seven from behind the three-point line. He had a game-high 10 rebounds.

Jermaine Patterson added 16 points for Lander while leading the team with six assists. Sidney Robinson added 15 points and Zane Rankin scored 13 for the Bearcats.

Marcus Thompson contributed nine points and seven rebounds for Lander.

Francis Marion's Holden Redparth shared game-high honors with 25 points, making nine of 15 shots. He also shared team-high rebounding honors with eight.

Langston Gaither scored 22 points for the Patriots, Darius Dawson added 15 points and eight boards, and Kevin Holden Jr. paced the visitors with six assists.

Berrien and Rankin each hit a pair of 3s early on as the teams went back and forth over the first 10 minutes of the game, being tied several times.

The Bearcats trailed 24-22 when Thompson blocked a shot that was recovered by Jared Sherfield, who threw a long pass to MJ Armstrong for a game-tying two-handed dunk.

Sherfield followed with a back-court steal and driving layup, giving Lander a 26-24 lead inside the nine-minute mark. The Bearcats would not trail again.

Francis Marion would tie the game at 26 on a basket by Dawson. But Lander scored the game's next 12 points to start a 25-6 run. Patterson started the run with a turn-around jumper in the lane, Armstrong hit four of four free throws, and Robinson made a pair of 3s from the right side giving the Bearcats a 38-26 advantage with 4:33 to go.

Patterson, Robinson and Berrien each added 3s as Lander continued to stretch its advantage, leading 51-35 at the intermission.

The Bearcats were 19 of 31 from the floor (62 percent) and nine of 18 from behind the arc (50 percent) in the first half.

Lander made its 10th 3-pointer of the game when Patterson swished one from the right corner, upping the lead to 56-37 with 18:05 to go.

Rankin's open trey from the left corner increased Lander's advantage to 62-41 with 14:24 left.

The Bearcats scored seven unanswered to open a 71-48 lead inside the 11-minute mark. Thompson put back his own miss, Rankin made a driving layup, and Robinson hit his fourth trey of the night.

Rankin's 3 from the right corner upped Lander's lead to 80-55 with 7:26 left.

Berrien's 3 from the right-wing gave the Bearcats an 86-68 advantage with 2:56 to go. Berrien's tip-in with 1:26 left made it 88-75, giving him his 10th rebound and the double-double.

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