MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Down by 16 at the half, the Lander men's basketball team fought until the very end but were unable to complete the comeback, as the Bearcats fell 69-66 on Wednesday.

Lander was led by senior DaJuan Moorer, who scored 18 points. Moorer also picked up his third double-double of the season with 12 rebounds. He also recorded three steals, two blocks and two assists as well. The Bearcats also had two other players hit double figures in scoring, with junior Jared Sherfield scoring 11 points along with four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Senior Sidney Robinson was the other Bearcat to hit double figures in scoring, as he scored 11 points as well.

The first half was not kind to the Blue and Gold, as the Bearcats shot only 10-for-36 (.278) from the floor in the first frame. Lander also went 2-of-17 (.118) from beyond the arc as they fell behind the Bobcats 39-23 at halftime.

Georgia College shot 16-of-29 (.552) from the floor in the first half along with a 5-for-9 (.556) performance from the beyond the arc. 

Lander began to make strides in the second frame, including a three-minute stretch where the Bearcats hit four 3-pointers to get within five. Down 45-28 with 17:49 to go, junior Jermaine Patterson hit the first of the four 3-pointers. A steal by Sherfield at the 17-minute mark led to a 3-pointer converted by senior Deon Berrien to make it 45-34. A 3-pointer from Sherfield with 16 minutes left pushed the score to 45-37 before a steal from Berrien helped create a chance for freshman Sebastian Augustave to drain a 3-pointer to bring the Bearcats within striking distance with 14:57 in the second frame.

Shooting improved dramatically for the Blue and Gold in the second half, as Lander shot 14-for-29 (.483) from the floor and 7-of-19 (.368) from beyond the arc.

Moorer also collected 12 on his 18 points and nine of his 12 rebounds in the second frame of action.

The two teams would duke it out for the remainder of the half, with the Bearcats tying the game three time but never establishing a lead. Lander saw the lead tied at the 12:12 mark after a 3-pointer hit by redshirt junior Zane Rankin to make it 47 all and at the 10:52 mark after Rankin converted a layup to make it 49 all. The last time the Bearcats got the game tied was at the 5:39 mark after a pair of free throws by junior Patterson to make it 62 all.

Lander would get withing three late after a layup from Moorer at the 1:16 mark but was unable to score again.

The Bearcats return to action on Wednesday, January 20 as they hit the road once more to face Augusta.

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