GREENWOOD -
Jacob Daniels scored 20 points while
Bobby Crawford Jr. scored six consecutive points to break the game open late as the 25th ranked Bearcats rallied past Flagler 66-58 Saturday afternoon in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament semifinals at Horne Arena.
PBC regular season champion Lander (24-5) will play for the conference tournament championship Sunday at 1 p.m. at Horne Arena versus either Columbus State or North Georgia.
Daniels made nine of 15 shots from the floor while leading the Bearcats with seven assists.
Greyson Pritzl added 16 points for Lander.
The Bearcats trailed much of the game but took their first lead with six-plus minutes left on a dunk by Daniels, his third basket in a row.
Lander's lead was 57-55 when Crawford hit two free throws and then scored on consecutive possessions to increase the lead to seven with two minutes to go.
Crawford finished with 11 points on four-of-four shooting from the floor. Pritzl and
Dylan Canoville paced the Bearcats with seven rebounds apiece.
"That was a tough one. Credit to Flagler. Great game plan," Lander head coach
Omar Wattad said. "In the second half, we slowed down and didn't settle (for shots). We were more accurate with our passes and more patient offensively. We made some adjustments defensively and to our guys credit, they absolutely executed the adjustments at an elite level. They (Flagler) scored 33 points in the first half and 25 in the second half.
"Bobby (Crawford) has got some things people haven't seen. He's really good right now and he's going to elevate to an All-League basketball player, I have no doubt in my mind," Wattad added. "Sauce (Daniels) in my opinion is the best player in the conference along with a couple (two) others. He controls the tempo of the game."
Daniels scored six points and Crawford four as Lander took a 10-8 lead in the opening five minutes.
Navaughn Maise converted a layup off a pick-and-roll bounce pass from
Antewan Webber Jr., pulling the Bearcats within 20-18 with 8:33 to go.
But Mason Manning made a 3-pointer and Cameron Andrews hit a basket off the glass as the shot clock was expiring, giving Flagler a 25-20 advantage.Â
Tymoteusz Pszczola made two treys including one as the shot clock was again expiring, handing the Saints their largest lead at 31-22 with 2:36 left.
Lander trailed 33-26 at halftime thanks in part to making only one of 13 shots from behind the 3-point arc.
The two teams opened the second half trading baskets until Pritzl gave the Bearcats a big shot in the arm with two 3-pointers and a pair of free throws, pulling the hosts within 42-40 with 15:53 to go.
Tommy Moore's 3-pointer from the left corner pulled Lander within 50-47 at the 10:27 mark and Canoville's free throw cut the deficit to two points.
Daniels drove through traffic and made a tough layup, tying the game at 50-all with 8:42 left. The Bearcats freshman guard duplicated that shot with another difficult layup to tie at 52 just inside the eight-minute mark.
Lander took it first lead since it was 10-8 when Moore collected a steal and delivered a transition pass to Daniels for a dunk, putting the Blue and Gold on top 54-52 with 6:24 to go.
The Bearcats lead grew to 56-53 with 4:45 left when Pritzl delivered a pass through a double team to a cutting
Jake Tringone for a layup.
Lander took its first multiple-possession lead when Crawford swished two free throws, making it 59-55 with 3:26 to go.
Crawford hit a mid-range jumper in the lane, getting a friendly roll as the Bearcats increased their lead to 61-55 with 2:36 left.
Crawford stayed hot, driving through traffic for a layup to increase Lander's lead to seven at the two-minute mark.
Pritzl made a layup off a long sidelines inbounds pass from Daniels, giving the Bearcats some breathing room a 65-56 with 1:08 to go.
Tickets for the PBC Championship game can be found at
landerbearcats.com/pbctix.
It is highly encouraged that fans purchase tickets ahead of time as there will be no cash sales at the gate.
Hear from Head Coach
Omar Wattad Postgame:
