LAKELAND, Fla. – Jameel Rideout scored 22 points,
Amir Reaves followed closely with 21, and four Bearcats scored in double figures to give the No. 7 Lander men's basketball team a 76-66 win over No. 6 Black Hills State in Saturday's season-opener at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on the campus of Florida Southern.
Rideout had a massive first half in his Lander debut, pouring in 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. Reaves, also in his Lander debut, had 12 in the opening 20 minutes and nine in the second half and finished 9 of 15 from the floor.
Qurahn Anderson took the baton with 14 minutes left in the game as he scored 10 points over a nine-minute stretch to help put Lander ahead 67-60 with 5:26 remaining.
RJ Ingram's trey was the icing on the cake with 1:21 to play, making it 74-62. Ingram tallied 11 points on a near-perfect shooting night with three 3s; he also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
The Bearcats did their best to make things appear seamless down the stretch, though it was anything but during the first half – BHSU opened up a 14-point, 31-17 lead over the first 12 minutes of the game.
The Yellow Jackets wanted a track meet and made quick work of their possessions. They canned five 3s over that opening stretch and were shooting above 60% for the majority of the first half.
LU still trailed 40-29 with four minutes left but the hot-handed Yellow Jackets cooled off while the Bearcats closed on a 12-0 run. Reaves scored four of those points, Rideout, five, and Ingram added a triple. Rideout buried one from long-range just before the halftime horn to firmly change the momentum of the game as Lander led 41-40 at the break.
The Bearcats finished 50% from the field (30 of 60) and made 11 of 14 from the free-throw line (78.6%). On defense, they held BHSU to 10-of-30 shooting during the second half and only two 3s. LU forced 16 turnovers today – which it turned into 25 points – and only gave the ball away six times in a polished effort.
More action is on the way tomorrow morning at 11 as Lander takes on No. 12 Oklahoma Baptist. The Bison lost a close 69-67 battle to No. 8 Cal State East Bay earlier Saturday.
