Wednesday February 22, 2012

GREENWOOD, S.C. – Corey Wright’s layup with three seconds left lifted Lander to a 74-72 Peach Belt Conference victory over Augusta State Wednesday night in Finis Horne Arena.

The Bearcats, who entered the contest as the fourth-place team in the PBC East Division, improved to 17-8 and 10-7 in the league and sealed a berth in the PBC Basketball Championships.

The Jags suffered their third straight road loss and slipped to 15-10 overall and 11-6 in the conference. With the setback, ASU is now tied for second place in the division with UNC Pembroke, which beat Flagler 76-71 on Sunday.

Dennis Rumph hit a baseline jumper with 26 seconds remaining to put Lander ahead 72-70. ASU freshman guard Devonte Thomas swished a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left to forge a 72-all tie. The Bearcats decided not to call a timeout and Wright drove to left wing and after a shot fake, got free underneath for the winning basket.

The loss overshadowed a career night from Thomas, who poured in a career-best 27 points on the strength of five 3-pointers. Devon Wright-Nelson turned in 16 points, O’Neal Armstrong notched 11 points and five assists and Harold Doby pitched in 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

Pruett popped in 21 for the Bearcats, including four treys. Wright tallied 16 points, nine assists and three steals while Dwight Tolbert and Jermel Kennedy had 13 and 12 points, respectively.

The Bearcats shot 56.8 percent for the game, including 68.4 percent in the second half.

GREENWOOD, S.C. -- Augusta State’s upset bid came up short Wednesday night as Lander hit seven free throws in the final 1:33 for a 75-68 Peach Belt Conference victory in Finis Horne Arena.

The victory was the eighth straight in the series for the 19th-ranked Bearcats, who improved to 20-5 overall and 15-2 in the PBC. The Lady Jaguars suffered their fourth straight setback and fell to 11-14 and 6-11, respectively.

Junior point guard Brittany White led the way for ASU with 15 points and 11 assists for her second double-double of the season. She added eight rebounds and snagged two steals. Tiffany Jaecks booked 12 points, Laci Schreiber added 11 and Marina Fox chipped in 10 points off the bench.

Lander point guard Brittni Johnson booked a game-high 23 points, including three 3-pointers. Ciara Lyons netted 14 points, eight steals and five rebounds, while Kami Phillips pitched in 13.