GREENWOOD –
Inady Legiste scored 23 points as the Lander Bearcats rallied from a first-half deficit for a 64-55 Homecoming victory over Peach Belt Conference rival Georgia College Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena.
Lander improved to 14-9 overall, 8-5 in the Peach Belt. The Bobcats fell to 8-16, 3-11.
Legiste had a huge game for the Bearcats, making eight of 14 shots from the floor while grabbing nine rebounds, blocking four shots and collecting two steals.
Noah Dunn added a double-double for Lander with 13 points and 11 rebounds, all on the defensive end.
Jeremiah Holloway paced the Bearcats with four assists.
Sebastian Augustave played a crucial role off the bench for the Blue and Gold with a pair of 3-pointers, three rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes.
Lander trailed for 15 minutes in the first half, down by as many as 10 points.
"We had a crucial group step up. It was Sebastian, Terry (Leonard), Noah, Inady and Jeremiah," Bearcats head coach
Omar Wattad said of the rally. "They played with energy. It was big. I thought specifically Terry Leonard had some big minutes. That was huge. We played with grit and moved the ball.
"I'm proud of the guys. It was a good win," Wattad continued. "They (Georgia College) are a good team. They beat (USC) Aiken by three, went to overtime against Flagler and (USC) Beaufort and beat North Georgia by 16."
Zyair Greene paced Georgia College with 21 points, Oscar Lynch scored 12 points, James Nichols had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Tony Carpio also grabbed 12 boards for the visitors.
The Bearcats struggled over the first 12 minutes of the game, trailing 18-9 with 8:10 left in the opening half. Lander made only four of its first 15 shots from the floor, including one of eight from behind the arc, and committed six turnovers.
The Blue and Gold faced a double-digit deficit, 23-13, at the seven-minute mark before going on an 11-0 run. Legiste scored twice in the paint and then Augustave gave the Bearcats a 24-23 lead with 4:29 left on a 3-pointer in transition.
Mason Etter's 3-pointer gave the Bobcats a 28-27 advantage with 2:24 left. But Lander closed the half on a 6-0 run for a 32-28 lead at the break and never trailed again. Legiste hit two free throws,
Terry Leonard Jr. made a spin move in the lane and swished a floater, and Legiste added a free throw after blocking two shots in one defensive possession.
The Bearcats took their first double-digit lead at 42-32 with 17 minutes left when
Torrin Andrews hit a 3-pointer, Legiste posted up two Bobcats and made a mid-range shot, and then Andrews drove the baseline and laid it in.
Tim Steele's wraparound layup and Augustave's second 3-pointer gave Lander a 54-45 advantage with 9:33 to go.
The Bearcats regained their double-digit lead when Dunn netted a 3-pointer from the right side, making it 59-49 with 5:19 left.
Legiste's step-back 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down extended Lander's lead to its biggest of the game at 64-50 with 3:14 to go. Georgia College did not threaten the rest of the way.
Lander will travel to Augusta Monday and then host Augusta in a makeup game Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
