Men's Basketball 1/5/2021 12:00:00 AM

Lander travels to Georgia Southwestern to begin PBC play

GREENWOOD – The Lander men's basketball team is coming off an 83-66 non-conference victory over Young Harris that saw 17 3-pointers drained by the Bearcats. The Blue and Gold now turn their attention to conference play, as they take on Georgia Southwestern on Wednesday at 7:30 pm.

QUICK HITTERS

Where to Watch: Peach Belt Conference Network

Live Stats: Landerbearcats.com

First Met: Dec. 27, 2007 (74-66 Lander)

Last Met: Jan. 04, 2020 (89-86 Georgia Southwestern)

Lander Record: 2-2, 0-0 (PBC)

Georgia Southwestern Record: 2-0, 0-0 (PBC)

Last Five Against Georgia Southwestern: 3-2

Next Game for Lander: January 9, 2021 vs Clayton State

STORYLINES

In total, Lander hit 17 3-pointers in its most recent victory, with redshirt junior Zane Rankin sinking six to lead the team in scoring with 18 on the day.
Those 17 made 3-pointers are the most by a PBC team so far this season.
Lander saw four other players hit double figures in scoring. Freshman Sebastian Augustave, who in his first career start at Lander scored 15 points along with two rebounds, steals and assists. Senior Deon Berrien tallied 14 points with 12 of those coming from beyond the arc. He also had four rebounds and assists. Junior Jermaine Patterson had 11 points and was close to having a triple-double, as he recorded 10 assists and eight rebounds on the day. Senior LaRaymond Spivery rounded out the list with 10 points, four assists and two blocks.
The Bearcats have had at least three players hit double figures in scoring every game so far this season.
For the first time this season, the Bearcats failed to score at least 30 points in the paint. They tallied 20 against the Mountain Lions.
The Bearcats saw an increase in production from their bench against Young Harris, with 29 points coming from the reserves.
Lander is currently ranked in the top-50 nationally in assists per game (t-23), blocks per game (t-6), field goal percentage (42nd) field goal percentage defense (t-38), free throw percentage (28th), rebound margin (t-43rd), total assists (50th) and total blocks (t-13).
Senior DaJuan Moorer is currently tied for fourth in total blocks in the nation with nine. He recorded three against Young Harris on Monday. Moorer is currently third in the PBC in blocks per game with 2.3.
Through the first four games, the Bearcats have three players in double figures for points per game, with Patterson averaging 19.8 ppg, Berrien is averaging 15 ppg and Augustave with 11.7 ppg.
Patterson is ranked 42nd in the nation in points per game and fourth in the PBC. He is also fifth in the PBC for assists per game with five.
Currently 1-2 on the road this season, the Bearcats went 7-6 away from Finis Horne Arena last season. Lander is 4-6 in its last 10 road contest stretching back to last season
Lander lost the lone contest against the Hurricanes last season, as Georgia Southwestern won 89-86. Tyler Brevard led the Bearcats ins scoring with 24 points. Moorer had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Hurricanes are 2-0 on the season, with both of their victories coming against Albany State of the SIAC. Georgia Southwestern beat the Rams 61-57 on the road on December 12 and then 96-82 at home on December 14.
Georgia Southwestern went 10-16 overall and 5-15 in PBC play last season. They were 9-5 at home while going 1-11 on the road.
The Hurricanes are led in scoring by Noah Louis so far this season. He averages 18.5 points per game along with 10 rebounds per game and one rebound and block per game. He's currently sixth among PBC players in scoring and second in rebounding
Georgia Southwestern is without four of their top-five leading scorers from last season, as Kahlon Whitley is the lone member of that group on the roster. He averaged eight points per game last season.