ANDERSON, S.C. – Trailing by as many as 20 points in the first half, the Lander men's basketball team battled hard to get the game tied multiple times, but ultimately fell 83-78 to Southern Wesleyan in the season opener.
TEAM RECORDS
Lander: 0-1, 0-0 PBC
Southern Wesleyan: 1-0, 0-0 CC
STAT LEADERS
Points: Nigel Colvin – 27 Pts, 1 REB, 6-12 3PT
Deandre Robinson – 18 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Blk
Assists: LaRaymond Spivery/Zane Rankin – 4 AST
Rebounds: Zane Rankin – 8 REB
Steals: Four tied – 2 STL
TEAM STATS TO KNOW
Lander: FG% - 41% (25-61) | 3pt% - 32.4% (12-37) | FT% - 72.7% (16-22) | Rebound – 36 | TO – 15 | STL - 8
Southern Wesleyan: FG% 52.7% (29-55) | 3pt% - 40.9% (9-22) | FT% - 72.7% (16-22) | Rebounds – 30 | TO - 14| STL - 9
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Beginning the 2021-22 season against the Southern Wesleyan Warriors, the Bearcats struck first off a layup from DaJuan Moorer to take the initial lead. The two teams would trade baskets and would be tied 6-6 after Martin Vogts and Moorer put in layups. SWU would go on a 10-0 run before yet another layup for the Bearcats, this time from Deandre Robinson, cut into the Warrior's run. The Warriors weren't done scoring just yet, as they would push their lead to 20 before Zane Rankin sank a 3-pointer to make it 33-13 with 11 minutes left in the first half.
Lander would keep fighting, as the Bearcats would get within three points of the Warriors after going on a 9-0 run. After getting the score to 42-39 SWU, the Bearcats would see the Warriors use a 7-0 run to close the half out with a 49-39 advantage.
Nigel Colvin scored 10 of his 27 points in the first frame after going 3-for-5 from the field and 2-for-3 from 3-point range.
Second Half
The second half saw Lander once again scoring first, this time off a jumper from Moorer who would also convert a free throw to bring the Bearcats to within seven.
Down 53-45, Colvin scored 8 of his 17 points in the half to help Lander go on an 8-4 run and get within four points of the Warriors with 13:54 remaining in the second half.
Lander would get the game tied at 70 after going on a 15-7 run that saw Colvin and Robinson sink three combined 3-pointers along with a layup from Spivery and free throws from Rankin and Colvin
Southern Wesleyan would respond with a 9-0 run of their own before the Bearcats saw Spivery sink four free throws with 3:41 and 3:27 remaining to make it 79-74. Lander would get the score within three points after a 3-pointer from Robinson with 39 seconds remaining made it 81-78, but the Warriors would hold firm and send a shooter to the line to sink a pair of free throws to reach the final score of 83-78.
What's Next
The Bearcats return to Anderson on Saturday, November 13 to battle the Trojans of Anderson University for a 3 pm tip-off.
