YOUNG HARRIS, GA. – The Lander men's basketball team returned to action with a road victory at Young Harris Monday night, taking down the Mountain Lions 84-74.

Lander moves to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the PBC while Young Harris drops to 4-5 overall and 4-4 in PBC play.

This is the first road victory for the Blue and Gold since December 9, when they defeated USC Aiken 73-66 in just the second game of the season.

Redshirt junior Zane Rankin led the Bearcats in scoring with 24. Rankin also had seven rebounds, two assists and one steal. He also went 9-for-11 from the floor and hit 6-of-8 3-pointers on the night.

 Joining Rankin in double figures were juniors Jared Sherfield with 15 and Jermaine Patterson with 13. Sherfield added five rebounds, four assists and one steal to his total while Patterson grabbed four rebounds along with his 13 points.

As a team, the Bearcats shot 31-of-57 (.544) from the floor and 11-of-19 (.579) from beyond the arc. Young Harris connected on 26-of-68 (.382) and 13-of-33 (.394) from beyond the arc.

The Bearcats and Mountain Lions traded baskets for most of the first half, with the Bearcats taking a slim one-point lead into the half. Sherfield scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half, while Rankin supplied eight points, going 2-of-4 from 3-point range.

The second frame saw the Bearcats jump out in front with a quick 5-0 run, as Patterson drained a 3-pointer and Rankin connected on a layup within the first two minutes of action to push the lead to 43-37.

With the Mountain Lions within six at the 15:29 mark, Lander built a double-figure lead on the heels of a 10-2 run. Freshman Tra'Sean Staggs made a layup to begin the drive, while Rankin hit a pair of 3-pointers with a jumper from Patterson sandwiched between to give Lander a 58-44 edge with 12:49 remaining.

The Bearcats would enjoy leads as large as 16, but Young Harris refused to go quietly, cutting the lead as low as eight just to keep the Bearcats on their toes.

The Bearcats stay on the road for their next contest, as the Blue and Gold travel to USC Aiken on February 10.

#cLawsUp | @LanderMBB