GREENWOOD – Jaylon Pugh scored 18 points while Chandler Lindsey put an exclamation point on the victory with an emphatic slam dunk as the Lander Bearcats opened the 2022-23 season with an 81-76 victory over Anderson University Friday night at the Southeast Challenge at Horne Arena.
The Bearcats will face Southern Wesleyan Saturday at 2:30 while Flagler takes on Anderson also on Saturday. Flagler beat Southern Wesleyan earlier Friday.
Pugh hit six 3-pointers to pace the Lander offense while adding three steals.
Jacob Cooper contributed 14 points for Lander while
Ajang Aguek added 12 points while leading the Bearcats with eight rebounds. Lindsey contributed 11 points and four assists while
Tommy Moore also scored 11 for Lander.
Anderson's Luke Denbow led all scorers with 25 points and added five assists. Mack Burgett added a double-double for the Trojans with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Myles Jenkins scored 12 for the visitors.
Lindsey hit a pair of 3-pointers while Moore added another trey, staking Lander to a 9-3 lead in the season's opening three minutes.
But the Trojans went on a 10-0 run capped by Mason Carver's 3 from the right corner that bounced off the side of the backboard and dropped in, giving the visitors a 13-9 advantage with 14:57 left in the half.
The Bearcats scored 10 unanswered points of their own, regaining the lead at 19-13 with 12:25 to go. Dominic Stanford collected a steal and drove in for a layup to put Lander back on top, Moore followed with a 3, and Aguek dunked off an interior pass from Lindsey to complete the run.
Pugh nailed a pair of 3s and Aguek added a layup as the Bearcat lead grew to 29-20 inside the nine-minute mark. Noah Dunn's 3 from the right wing upped the advantage to 38-26 with 4:46 left.
Jenkins hit a tough fade-away shot in the lane as he fell to the floor, pulling Anderson within 38-33 with 1:20 to go. Pugh's 3 from the right side gave Lander its first points in almost four minutes, his shot making it 41-33 with 59 seconds left. That would be the halftime score.
The Bearcats started the second half only 3-for-13 from the floor and the Trojans took advantage, pulling within 45-43 with 15:27 to go on Deakin Pereira's inside bucket.
Navaughn Maise's 3 from the left corner increased Lander's advantage to 48-43. But Denbow's 3 gave Anderson its first lead since early in the game at 50-48 with 13:23 left.
Denbow's fade-away jumper in the lane increased the Trojan lead to 56-50 with 11:30 to go, completing a 23-5 run.
But then Anderson went cold and the Bearcats stormed back in front with 11 unanswered points. Pugh made a 3, Cooper's driving layup gave Lander a 58-56 lead with 9:11 left, and Pugh nailed another 3 in front of the Bearcat bench for a 61-56 lead at the 7:48 mark.
Jacksen Greco's four-play play pulled the Trojans within 63-62 at the six-minute mark. Denbow's basket in the lane gave Anderson a 64-63 lead with 5:04 to go.
The Bearcats regained the lead for good when Lindsey made a put-back and converted a three-point play for a 66-64 advantage at 4:41. Aguek's layup increased Lander's lead to four.
Lindsey's back-door pass to Cooper gave the Bearcats a 70-66 advantage at the 3:17 mark.
Pugh's sixth 3 of the game increased Lander's lead to 73-68, Denbow answered with a 3 of his own for the Trojans, then Cooper's step-back trey gave the Bearcats a 76-71 advantage with 1:47 left.
Lindsey put an exclamation point on the victory when he raced from the left corner through an open lane toward the basket, rebounded Pugh's missed 3-point attempt and slammed a dunk with his left hand, making it 78-73 with 45 seconds to go.
After a Pugh steal, Cooper added a pair of free throws for an 80-73 lead.
Denbow's 3 pulled Anderson within 80-76 with 22 seconds left. The Bearcats turned the ball over with 20 seconds to go, but Carver missed a 3-point attempt from the left corner.
Maise added a free throw to complete the scoring.
Keep up to date with your Bearcats and never miss a moment of the action! Follow Lander athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for continued updates! #cLawsUp
