GREENWOOD, S.C. - The Lander Bearcats cut a double-digit deficit down to three points late but could not complete the comeback as they dropped a Peach Belt Conference game to USC Aiken 72-67 Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena.
Lander fell to 9-12 overall and 4-8 in the PBC.
The Pacers improved to 14-7, 8-3.
Jared Sherfield paced the Bearcats in four categories with 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Sebastian Augustave hit four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points for Lander. Nigel Colvin added 11 points for the Bearcats, Zane Rankin scored 10 points, and Navaughn Maise matched Sherfield's four assists.
Latreavin Black and Jalen McCoy paced USC Aiken with 13 points apiece, Tehree Horn added 11 points and a game-high seven rebounds, Preston Parks scored 10 points, and David Strother added nine points and a team-leading five assists.
Dominic Stanford's 3-pointer gave Lander its first lead of the game at 7-6 with 16:17 left. Rankin became the eighth Bearcat to score already when his 3-pointer from the top of the key gave the Blue and Gold a 16-15 advantage with 12:52 to go, the fourth lead change of the game.
Augustave made three 3-pointers in a row from the 9:01 to 7:24 marks, staking Lander to a 29-25 lead. Sherfield's 3-pointer put the Bearcats up 32-28 with 6:52 left, but then came a scoring drought.
Lander only had two free throws the remainder of the first half, going 0-for-5 from the floor and committing three turnovers over the final six-plus minutes. The Pacers outscored the Blue and Gold 8-2 over that stretch and led 36-34 at halftime.
Maise's layup off a nice pass from Colvin tied the game at 36 at the 19:22 mark while Colvin's 3-pointer from the left side knotted the game at 39 with 18:05 to go.
USC Aiken went on a tie-breaking 11-1 run to take a 50-40 advantage with 15:20 left. The Pacers would not trail again.
Augustave hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key, DaJuan Moorer made a hook shot and Stanford swished a short jumper during a 7-0 run as the Bearcats pulled within 50-47 with 12:55 to go.
But Strother's 3-pointer ignited a 7-0 run for the Pacers, who led 57-47 inside 11 minutes left.
Trailing 63-52 with just more than seven minutes left, Lander had yet another 7-0 run to close within 63-59 at 5:21. After Rankin made one of two free throws, Sherfield drained a 3-pointer and added an old-fashioned three-point play.
Tommy Moore's 3-pointer cut the Bearcat deficit to 66-62 with 4:40 to go. Lander missed its next five shots before Rankin's 3-pointer with one minute left pulled the hosts within 70-65.
The Pacers used up the shot clock but failed to score and also missed the front end of a one-and-one, keeping the Bearcats within striking distance.
Colvin scored with eight seconds left to cut Lander's deficit to 70-67. But Aiken clinched the win with two Horn free throws and a last-second steal.
