GREENWOOD - The Lander men's basketball team suffered its first home loss of the season Monday night when Columbus State's Lorenzo Anderson hit a basket with two seconds left, handing the Bearcats a 70-69 Peach Belt Conference defeat at Horne Arena.

The game featured 15 ties and 12 lead changes.

Lander fell to 6-7 overall, 4-5 in the PBC. It was the team's first home game since Jan. 13.

The Cougars improved to 5-6 overall and also 5-6 in league play.

It was a rematch of last year's PBC Tournament championship game won by the Bearcats 76-73.

Jermaine Patterson paced Lander with 20 points Monday while DaJuan Moorer added 12 points.

Marcus Thompson scored seven of his nine points in the second half while leading the Bearcats with seven rebounds. Sidney Robinson scored all eight of his points in the second half coming off the Lander bench.

LaRaymond Spivery paced the Blue and Gold with four assists while Zane Rankin had three steals.

Preston Hunter had a huge game for Columbus State, leading all scorers with 25 points including a 5-for-5 shooting night from behind the three-point line. He also led the Cougars with eight rebounds, five steals and three blocked shots.

Kalen Clifton added 15 points while Anderson scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, including the game-winner.

There were eight ties and seven lead changes in the first 12 minutes of the game. Lander's biggest lead of the opening half was 17-13 at the 11-minute mark when Moorer finished a fast-break dunk off a long bounce pass from MJ Armstrong. The last tie of the first half was at 20-all with 8:44 to go.

Clifton hit three 3-pointers in consecutive possessions during a one minute and 10 second span, extending Columbus State's 25-24 lead to 34-26 with 3:29 left.

Spivery drove the baseline and laid it in with 16 seconds to go, pulling the Bearcats within 36-34. But Christian Chambers made three free throws after being fouled behind the arc with three seconds left, staking the Cougars to a 39-34 halftime advantage.

Columbus State hit the opening basket of the second half. But Lander responded with 11 unanswered points to take a 45-41 lead approaching the 17-minute mark. Patterson made a trey, Moorer hit a layup, Rankin swished a go-ahead 3 from the left corner, and Jared Sherfield added a 3 from the right side.

Thompson scored three consecutive Lander baskets in the paint to keep the Blue and Gold within striking distance before Deon Berrien's jumper knotted the game at 55-all with 8:55 left.

Robinson's long 3 in front of the Bearcats bench tied the game again at 59-all with 6:05 to go. It was the 13th tie of the night.

Robinson missed a 3-point attempt off the side of the rim but got his own rebound and laid it in, pulling Lander within 62-61 with 4:50 left. His free throw with 4:22 to go tied it at 62.

The Cougars regained the lead on Preston's fifth trey of the game. Patterson took a pass from Moorer and laid it in as the Blue and Gold trailed 65-64 as the game approached three minutes left.

The Bearcats took their first lead in a long while when Patterson drove nearly the length of the floor and made a layup, was fouled, and converted the three-point play to put the hosts ahead 67-65 at the 2:36 mark.

Columbus State's Nelson Haskin tied the game at 67 with 2:17 left. After empty possessions for both teams, Robinson's free throws gave Lander a 69-67 advantage with 1:06 to go.

The Cougars had an opportunity to regain the lead with 46 seconds left when Hunter was fouled behind the arc. But he made only one of three throws, leaving the Cougars still trailing 69-68.

The Bearcats tried to milk some clock but lost the ball on a steal by Hunter. But Hunter missed the layup as Berrien was credited with a blocked shot, a Columbus State teammate trailing from behind missed the follow-up, and Lander got the rebound with 21 seconds to go.

The Bearcats, however, missed the front end of a one-and-one with 10 seconds left helping give the Cougars an opportunity to win it. Anderson inbounded the ball, got the ball immediately back from a teammate, drove just inside the arc to the right of the free-throw stripe and hit a fade-away jumper with two seconds left to give the Cougars a 70-69 lead.

Lander was not able to get the ball in cleanly and the clock expired.

The Bearcats will get another shot at victory on the Horne Arena floor Wednesday night when they host No. 21-ranked Flagler.