GREENWOOD –
Noah Dunn made seven 3-pointers and
Torrin Andrews scored a career-high 22 points as the Lander Bearcats dominated Peach Belt Conference rival Augusta 84-69 Wednesday night at Horne Arena.
Lander, which led by as many as 30 points, improved to 15-10 overall and 9-6 in the PBC. The Blue and Gold opened the night in fifth place in the conference standings.
The Jaguars fell to 17-8, 11-4.
The Bearcats avenged a three-point loss at Augusta just two nights earlier. Wednesday's rematch was a makeup game from January due to a postponement for snow.
Dunn followed up a great game on Monday with another on Wednesday, leading all scorers with 26 points. The senior made eight of 13 shots from the floor including seven of 11 from behind the 3-point arc. Dunn made eight treys and scored 29 on Monday, giving him 55 points in the two games.
Andrews hit seven of 11 shots including three of five from long range, passing his previous career high of 20 points Feb. 5 at USC Beaufort.
Inady Legiste added 17 points and a team-high nine rebounds for Lander.
"I wish we would have gotten them (won) on Monday," Bearcats head coach
Omar Wattad said. "Super pleased with what we did tonight. We shot it well.
Torrin Andrews is starting to play. It was good to see. But I don't like how we let our foot off the gas (in the last six minutes)."
Wattad added, "Noah is special, one of the best players in Lander men's basketball history. If he takes care of himself the right way, he will play basketball for a long time. Today Torrin put two great halves together. He is essential for us to play make, score and play defense."
It was Lander's fourth consecutive home victory over Augusta.
"
Finis Horne is a tough place to play," Wattad said. "We have great fans with the right energy. Our guys play well here for sure."
The Bearcats shot 55 percent from the floor, making 29 of 53 shots.
Dunn's third 3-pointer of the game handed Lander a 22-6 lead with 12:45 left in the opening half. Andrews also made a 3-pointer during the hot start and Holloway cut to the basket, taking a Legiste pass through a double team for a nice layup.
Dunn swished another triple from the left corner and Andrews made a tough driving layup, increasing the Bearcats lead to 27-10 with 9:36 to go.
Greyson Pritzl hit a 3-pointer, Legiste made two mid-range shots and Dunn added two free throws as the Blue and Gold increased its lead to 20, 37-17, with five minutes left.
Andrews drained a pair of triples from the top of the key on consecutive possessions, giving Lander a 45-19 advantage with 2:40 to go.
Will Stewart's second 3-pointer of his career pushed the Bearcats lead to 50-20 with 1:35 left.
Holloway's floater in the final seconds gave the Blue and Gold a 52-25 advantage at the break as the hosts made 62 percent of their shots (18-for-29) in the opening half.
The 52 points were the most in the first half for Lander in the 80-game history of the rivalry.
Legiste opened the second half with a three-point play as the Bearcats were up by 30 points again, 55-25.
Max Amadasun blocked a shot at the top of the key and took it the other way for a dunk and then Demitri Gardner made a 3-pointer, cutting Augusta's deficit to 56-36 with 16:27 to go.
But Lander regained control of the game as Holloway made a driving layup, Dunn drained an NBA range trey, and Andrews converted a three-point play as the home team led 64-38 inside the 15-minute mark.
The Jaguars pulled within 70-49, but the Blue and Gold began to pull away again.
Tim Steele converted a driving layup, Dunn made another NBA range triple and Legiste completed a three-point play for a 78-51 advantage inside nine minutes to go.
Another long trey by Dunn increased the Bearcats lead to 82-54 with 6:42 left. But Augusta scored the game's next 13 points.
Holloway's put-back with 11 seconds left, Lander's first points in six and a half minutes, closed the scoring for the hosts.
The Bearcats will play at PBC leading Columbus State Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The home finale is Feb. 26 versus Flagler.
