AMERICUS, GA. – After trailing by 11 points in the second half and battling through three overtime periods, the Lander men's basketball team came away with a 115-105 victory over the Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes Saturday evening.
Lander advances to 19-7 overall and 11-5 in the PBC while GSW falls to 12-13 overall and 5-11 in the PBC.
This marks the first time since the 2018-19 season that a Bearcat squad has scored 100 or more points in at least four games in a season. Lander is now 62-5 all-time when scoring at least 100 points in a game.
Jacob Cooper led all scorers with 34 points. Cooper went 11-of-14 from the free-throw line while adding six assists, five rebounds and three steals. Cooper's 34 points trail only Noah Dunn's 38 points scored against Flagler as the most points scored this season in a single game.
Jaylon Pugh, Ajang Aguek, Navaughn Maise and Sebastian Augustave all scored in double figures as well. Pugh hit five 3-pointers on the night and brought in six rebounds. Aguek was a rebound shy of a double-double as he hauled in nine on the night and had 15 points.
This was the 17th time Lander has had four or more scorers in double figures this season and the sixth time where five Bearcats have scored 10 or more points.
The Bearcats would start the first half down 10-0 before Pugh hit a 3-pointer with 16:20 remaining to get Lander on the scoreboard. Aguek would proceed to convert a layup while Augustave and Pugh would hit 3-pointers to give Lander an 11-10 lead with 14:58 left in the first half.
Georgia Southwestern would take the lead back for a brief moment after a pair of free throws fell before the Bearcats would go on a 7-0 run to take an 18-12 advantage.
Lander would stretch its lead to 10 after Cooper drilled a 3-pointer with 9:49 to give Lander a 27-17 lead. The Bearcats' lead would expand to 14 after Jared Sherfield ran down the baseline and slammed home a dunk with 7:56 left in the first half.
The Hurricanes would battle and eventually tie the game at 38-38 with 2:23 left in the first half.
Navaugh Maise hit a pair of free throws to put Lander up 40-38 with 1:56 remaining.
The two teams would be tied at 42-42 after a GSW layup fell before Copper made a layup of his own and made a free throw with 22 seconds left in the half to put Lander up 45-42.
Lander shot 17-of-33 from the field in the first half while shooting 6-of-16 from 3-point range and going 5-of-9 from the free-throw line. GSW shot 12-of-27 from the field in the first half while shooting 3-of-7 from 3-point range and 15-of-17 from the free-throw line.
Lander would score the first points of the second half as Connor McKay made a layup to give Lander a 47-42 lead.
GSW would score five straight points to tie the game at 47-47 with 17:19 left.
A Maise layup would put Lander up by four with 15:09 before the Hurricanes would explode for a 17-2 run to take a 66-54 lead with 8:28 remaining in the second half.
Lander would get the Hurricanes' lead down to seven on a Sherfield jumper with 4:17.
The Hurricanes would stretch its lead back to 11 with 2:48 left in the second half before Pugh hit a 3-pointer to bring it to an eight-point deficit with 2:28 with GSW leading 79-71.
McKay would help lead the Bearcat charge as he slammed home a dunk with 1:56 left and powered through a foul. He'd hit a free throw before Copper made a layup to make it a 79-76 game with 1:53 remaining.
Copper would tie the game up with 12 seconds after driving and making a layup while getting fouled and making the proceeding free throw.
Lander shot 13-of-27 in the second half while 2-of-8 from 3-point range and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. GSW went 15-of-28 from the field in the second half while going 1-of-5 from 3-point range and 6-of-9 from the free-throw line.
Lander and GSW would enter overtime tied 79-79
The Hurricanes would be first to strike in overtime with a made jumper to go up 81-79.
Maise made a layup to counter and tie the game once more with 4:26 remaining in overtime.
10 seconds later the Hurricanes would make another jumper to go up 83-81 with 4:17 left before hitting a pair of free throws with 3:15 left to go up 85-81.
After a GSW dunk put the Hurricanes up 87-81, Aguek would hit a pair of free throws with 2:03 remaining to make it an 87-83 game.
After an offensive foul from the Hurricanes gave the Bearcats the ball, Augustave would hit a 3-pointer off a pass from Tommy Moore to put Lander back just one point with 1:48 remaining.
Moore would go to the line with 1:30 left to tie the game at 87 with 1:30 remaining.
GSW would hit a pair of free throws with 45 seconds left to go up 89-87.
With eight seconds left, Aguek would sink a layup to tie the game at 89 after hauling in an offensive rebound.
Lander and GSW would need to head to a second OT period.
The Hurricanes would strike first in the second overtime period with a free throw falling with 3:51 left before Copper made a layup with 3:29 remaining to put Lander up 91-90.
A 3-pointer from GSW would put them up 93-91 with 2:58 remaining.
Aguek would haul in his own rebound and power through a foul to make not only his layup but the free throw to put Lander up 94-93.
A GSW layup would give the home side a one-point lead with 2:09 left before Moore hit a 3-pointer to give the Bearcats a 97-95 edge with 1:35.
GSW would counter with a pair of free throws to tie the game at 97 with 1:18 left before a pair of free throws with 55 seconds left gave the Hurricanes a 99-97 lead.
Pugh would sink a contested layup off a baseline pass from Copper to send Lander and GSW to a third overtime period tied 99-99.
Pugh would strike again, as he unleashed a 3-pointer to put Lander up 102-99 with 4:26 left in the third OT period.
A free throw from Cooper with 3:36 left gave Lander a 103-99 lead.
Aguek would keep the points flowing for Lander with a layup at the 2:54 mark of the third OT period to give Lander a 105-99 advantage.
The Hurricanes would score their first points of the third overtime period with a pair of free throws to cut the Bearcats' lead to 105-100 with 2:04 left.
Augustave would be quick to counter with a 3-pointer to push the lead to seven before Cooper hit a jumper with 1:26 left to give Lander a 110-101 advantage,
Lander would stretch its lead to 11 with a pair of free throws falling for Cooper with 58 seconds left before a dunk from GSW made it a 112-103 game.
GSW would hit more free throws to cut the Bearcats' lead to seven with 39 seconds left.
Cooper would make a free throw with 31 seconds remaining to give the Bearcats an eight-point advantage.
Stanford would go to the line 10 seconds later and sink a pair of free throws to put Lander in front 115-105 to seal the deal.
Lander shot 41-of-90 from the field for the game while going 12-of-34 from 3-point range and 21-of-30 from the free-throw line. GSW went 33-of-74 from the field for the game while shooting 5-of-17 from 3-point range and going 34-of-40 from the free-throw line.
The Bearcats return to Horne Arena for the final time in the regular season as they host Young Harris on Wednesday, February 22 for Senior Day
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