GREENWOOD – The Lander men's basketball team plays its first conference game of the year as It welcomes Columbus State to Horne Arena on Dec. 17 to begin PBC action.

QUICK HITTERS

Location: Finis Horne Arena (Greenwood, S.C.)

Time: 3:30 pm

Lander's Record: 5-4, 0-0 PBC

Columbus State's Record: 8-1, 0-0 PBC

First Met: Jan. 26, 1991 (105-73 CSU)

Last Met: Feb. 15, 2021 (70-69 CSU)

Last Five Against CSU: 4-1

Who's Next: Vs UNC Pembroke (Jan.1)

STORYLINES

• The Bearcats are now winners of their last four games after defeating Claflin 65-48 on Dec. 11 at Horne Arena.
• Dominic Stanford led all scorers with 19 points and had eight rebounds and one block. Jared Sherfield was next in line with 16 points and added three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
• After tied 22-22 at the half, Lander used a 14-for-25 shooting second half to score 43 points while holding Claflin to 26 in the second frame.
• Lander has won by 10+ in all five of its wins this season.
• The Bearcats are now 4-1 at home early this season.
• While allowing 69 or fewer points, Lander is 5-2.
• Lander has had six players lead them in scoring this season, with Nigel Colvin leading the way with three games as the Bearcats leading scorer. DaJuan Moorer has led the Bearcats twice.
• Lander has won every game this month by 10 or more points, going 3-0 in the process.
• The Bearcats have the third-best scoring defense among PBC teams so far this season. Lander is holding its opponents to 63.3 points per game, which is only behind North Georgia's 63.0 and Augusta's 60.7 points per game. The Bearcats are 25th in the country in scoring defense so far this season.
• Lander also holds the third-best shooting defense, as it holds opponents to a shooting percentage of .397 from the field. That rate is good for the 27th best shooting defense in the country.
• Columbus State has the fourth-best rebounding rate in the conference, as it averages 39.4 rebounds per game. CSU is just 1.6 rebounds per game behind Augusta and it's 41.0 rebounds per game.
• Sherfield currently ranks fourth in total defensive rebounds (47) and sixth in defensive rebounds per game (5.2). He's also 11th in the PBC for total rebounds (55).
• The Cougars also have one of the lowest turnover rates among PBC teams, with just 11.4 turnovers per game. Lander comes in with 12.3 turnovers per game. Young Harris currently averages 20 turnovers per game.
• The Bearcats and Cougars battle till the final seconds last season, with Columbus State coming away with a late 70-69 win after hitting the game-winning jumper with two seconds remaining.
• Jermaine Patterson led the Bearcats in scoring with 20 points last season.
• Columbus State comes into this game with an 8-1 record. This will be the Cougars' first PBC match of the year as well.
• Starting the year 3-0, the first and only loss for CSU came against Alabama-Huntsville on Nov. 20.
• After that loss, Columbus State has won its last five games, most recently defeating Claflin on the road 91-81.
• This will be the 57th meeting between the two teams, with the first dating back to Jan. 26, 1991. Columbus State won that game 105-73.
• Lander is 11-19 against CSU all-time at home and is 22-34 all-time.
• The Cougars are averaging 77.6 points per game while allowing 68.7 points per game.
• CSU is currently tied for 10th in the nation in blocked shots per game with 5.2. Texas A&M-Commerce leads the nation with 6.9 blocked shots per game.
• CSU is shooting .454 from the field while holding opponents to a shooting percentage of .413 this season.
• Langston Gaither leads the Cougars in scoring with 16.4 points per game. Christian Chambers (16.2) and Hunter Preston (13.1) join Gaither in double-figure scoring on the season.
• Nelson Haskin is the team's leader in rebounds with 7.7 per game.
• Gaither is also the team's leader in assists with 3.3 per game while Haskin also holds the team lead for blocks per game with 2.7.
• The Bearcats conclude their non-conference schedule with a visit from former PBC foe UNC Pembroke on January 1 at 3:30 pm.

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