GREENWOOD, S.C. – Lander got a huge game from their seniors with DeShundre Rucker scoring 18 points while DaJuan Moorer grabbed 19 rebounds as the Bearcats pulled off their second victory over a ranked opponent this season beating No. 21/25 Flagler 74-66 on Senior Day Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena.
Lander ended its regular-season winning four of its last five games, improving to 13-14 overall and 8-10 in the Peach Belt. The Bearcats will face Georgia College Tuesday night in the opening round of the PBC Tournament.
The Saints fell to 21-6 overall and 14-4 in the league.
Lander beat No. 11/12 Augusta at home on Jan. 12.
Rucker made eight of 11 shots from the floor, leading the Bearcats with 18 points. He got off to a fast start as Lander raced to a 22-3 lead.
Moorer scored 15 points on six of 10 shooting for the Bearcats while grabbing 14 of his 18 rebounds on the defensive end.
DeAndre Robinson added 12 points, including five points in the final 2:42 when Lander put the game away.
Dominic Stanford added 11 points for the Bearcats. Jared Sherfield contributed seven points and 11 rebounds while leading Lander with four assists.
Jaizec Lottie, averaging 22.7 points per game for Flagler, led all scorers with 31 points. But he was 0-for-11 from behind the 3-point line.
Chase Fiddler added 12 points for the Saints while Jalen Barr contributed nine points while leading the visitors with 10 boards. Fiddler made four 3-pointers but his teammates were 2 of 23 from behind the arc. Flagler made six of 32 shots from long range overall (18 percent).
Lander honored Rucker, Spivery and Moorer before their final home games. Rucker has played for the Bearcats for the last five seasons. Spivery and Moorer are transfers from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Moorer was named to the All-PBC third team in 2020 and second team in 2021.
Spivery is out for the season due to a foot injury, having not played since the end of January. But Lander started Spivery along with Rucker, Moorer, Stanford and Sherfield. The Saints won the game's opening tip and purposely passed the ball to Spivery, who dribbled a few times, crossed mid-court, the Bearcats called timeout, and teammates hugged him before he returned to the bench. Spivery was credited with a steal as Flagler players also gave him an ovation.
The Bearcats started the game off red-hot, making six of their first seven shots from the floor while building a 15-2 lead inside the 15-minute mark behind their seniors. Rucker scored six points on three of three shooting while Moorer added four points on two of two accuracy.
The advantage grew to 22-3 at the midway point of the first half on Robinson's 3-pointer from the right side. Robinson swished a mid-range jumper one minute later for a 20-point Bearcat lead at 24-4 with nine minutes until halftime.
Moorer already had 10 rebounds in the first eight-plus minutes of the game including nine on the defensive end. The Saints gave Lander plenty of rebounding opportunities, missing 14 of their first 15 shots including all nine from behind the arc. Flagler made just its second shot with only seven minutes left in the half.
Lottie's three-point play cut the Saint deficit to 26-11 with 6:05 to go. But Sebastian Augustave's 3-pointer from the left corner extended the Blue and Gold lead back to 20 points at 31-11 at the 4:26 mark.
The Bearcats led 36-17 at the break as they were 13 of 27 from the floor (48 percent) in the first half while Flagler was just four of 27 (15 percent).
Rucker scored twice in the opening minute of the second half, extending Lander's advantage to 40-19. Rucker made an underhanded scoop shot off the glass, was fouled and converted a three-point play for a 43-24 lead with 17:21 to go.
After missing their first 17 shots from behind the arc, the Saints finally hit one to pull within 43-27 with 16:43 left.
Stanford's 3-pointer from the top of the key gave the Bearcats a 50-33 lead with 12:28 to go.
Fiddler's 3-pointer from the right corner cut Flagler's deficit to 52-42 with 10:53 left. But Nigel Colvin answered with a three-point play as Lander led 55-42 at the 10:04 mark.
The Saints pulled within single digits for the first time since early in the game when Lottie drove in for a layup high off the glass, making it 55-46 with 8:57 to go.
Another 3-pointer from the right corner by Fiddler pulled Flagler within 55-50 with 6:58 left. Yet again, Fiddler shot from behind the arc and the ball bounced high off the rim and in as the Saints were now down just 61-57 with 5:09 to go. That's as close as they would get.
Stanford hit a big 3-pointer from the right-wing as Lander led 64-57 with 4:52 left.
Moorer's 17th rebound might have been his biggest as he went high up for an offensive board, took one dribble toward the basket and then passed the ball out leftward to Robinson for a 3-pointer, giving the Bearcats a 67-57 advantage with 2:42 to go.
Robinson added a pair from the charity stripe, extending Lander's lead to 70-59 with 1:53 left.
Stanford lobbed a pass to Moorer for a dunk, giving the Blue and Gold a 72-61 advantage with a minute to go and putting the exclamation point on the victory.
#cLawsUp | @LanderMBB
