Men's Basketball 1/18/2021 12:00:00 AM

Men's basketball ships off to face Augusta on Wednesday

GREENWOOD – The Lander men's basketball team returns to action with a trip to Augusta after losing to Georgia College 69-66 last Saturday.

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Where to Watch: PBC Network

Live Stats: Landerbearcats.com

First Met: Nov. 29, 1969 (92-78 Augusta)

Last Met: Dec. 2, 2020 (87-72 Augusta)

Lander Record: 4-4, 2-2 (PBC)

Augusta Record: 4-2, 2-2 (PBC)

Last Five Against Augusta: 1-5

Next Game for Lander: Jan. 23 vs North Georgia

STORYLINES

Down 39-23, the Bearcats fought to tie the game multiple times in the second half but were unable to fully dig themselves out of their hole, as Lander ultimately lost 69-66 to Georgia College.
Senior DaJuan Moorer collected his third double-double of the season after scoring 18 points and collecting 12 rebounds. Moorer also had three steals, two assists and two blocks. He is also ranked among the top-10 in multiple categories among PBC players. Moorer is currently seventh in the PBC with 7.9 rebounds per game, third with 1.8 blocks per game, first in total blocks with 14 and first with 63 total rebounds.
Moorer is nationally ranked in three categories going into Wednesday's match. He's tied for 23rd in blocks per game with 1.75, tied for seventh in double-doubles with three and third for third in total blocks with 14.
Lander has seen at least three or more players score in double figures this season. Along with Moorer, junior Jared Sherfield and senior Sidney Robinson both scored 11 points. Sherfield also contributed four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Robinson also had one rebound and one steal to go with his 11 points.
The Bearcats have shown mixed results this season depending on where they compete. At Horne Arena, the Blue and Gold are 3-0, while on the road they are 1-4.
The only road game the Bearcats have won was back on December 9 against USC Aiken where Lander won 73-66.
The stats don't just stop at wins and losses, with the Bearcats averaging 88 points at home while only scoring an average of 71.4 on the road. The equates to a 16.6 scoring average swing. The Bearcats have also shown a better defensive resolve at home, with opponents scoring just an average of 72.7 points per game while opponents are scoring 77.4 points so far this season at their home arena. Lander is showing a +4.7 difference at home when it comes to shutting down opponents' offenses.
Lander's long-range shooting has come alive over the past couple of games, while before the Bearcats were reliant on points in the pant and mid to long-range jumpers. The Bearcats have three players ranked in the top-10 among PBC players for made 3-points per game. Senior Deon Berrien is seventh with 2.3 3-pointers made per game, freshman Sebastian Augustave is ninth with 2.1 3-pointer made per game while redshirt junior Zane Rankin is 10th in the PBC with 2.0 3-pointer made per game.
In games Lander has eventually lost, it has trailed at halftime in all but one of those games. The only game where the Bearcats did not trail at halftime and still lost was the first game of the season against Augusta.
In their most recent outing against Augusta, the Bearcats came out firing to a 43-25 lead at the half. That would be erased quickly, as the Jaguars started the second frame on a 16-0 run. Augusta would score 62 points in the second half to wash away the Bearcats' lead and take an 87-72 victory at Christenberry Fieldhouse. Berrien led the Bearcats in scoring with 19 points while junior Jermaine Patterson was close behind with 15 points in his first start as a Bearcat.
Lander is 1-5 in the last five games against the Jaguars, with the lone win coming last season. The Bearcats won 88-82 at Horne Arena on December 8, 2019.