PBC Tournament - Lander Shoots Past Francis Marion 68-53

AIKEN, S.C .-- Ninth-seeded Lander shot 54.2 percent in the first half Wednesday night and went on to a 68-53 victory over Francis Marion in the first round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament at the Convocation Center on the campus of USC Aiken.

With the win, the Bearcats improved to 10-18 overall and advance to face top-seeded USC Aiken on Friday eveninging at 7:00 p.m. The Patriots, the tourney’s No. 8 seed, saw their season come to an end at 12-16. The loss was the eighth straight in the tourney for FMU. The contest also marked the first-ever meeting in the tournament between the two squads.

Lander, the defending tournament champion, jumped out in front early and never looked back. The Bearcats went up 19-9 on a Brenton Harris tip-in and led by as many as 16 on a Scooter Lawrence 3-pointer with 25 seconds left in the first half.

A Travis Allison bucket put the Bearcats ahead 52-39 at the 8:07 mark before FMU responded. A Houston Power jumper capped a 12-5 spurt that pulled the Patriots within six at 57-51 with 3:33 to play. But Curtis Milner’s layup off a feed from Zach Evans stemmed the tied and Lander hit seven free throws -- five from Evans -- in the last 1:41 to seal the victory.

Sam Smith finished with a career-high 20 points and was the only Patriot in double figures.

Evans paced the Bearcats with 17 points, while Lawrence added 11 and Scottie Smith managed 10. Harris snagged a game-high 13 rebounds.

Lander, which snapped a seven-game losing streak with the win, outrebounded FMU 41-26 and held the Patriots to just 34.6 percent shooting from the field.

Boxscores

Game 4 – Francis Marion vs. Lander - Quotes

Francis Marion head coach Gary Edwards:
“We picked a bad time to play a lousy game. Lander did a great job defensively and they were physical with us. We didn’t handle it well, shoot the ball well and finish it around the basket We just didn’t score enough points to win the game.”

“Defensively, we had our moments, but we didn’t play as well defensively as we have the last couple of the games down the stretch. But, we played well enough defensively to win the game.”

“They (Lander) were hungry. We had been on a losing streak ourselves, so we know how hungry you are not to end your season. They were very hungry and they showed it. They were ferocious defensively, flying around everywhere.”

“We cut it down some and felt it coming, but we never could get that big stop and get that big bucket. We never could get that bandwagon hitched up like the last two games, plus you can’t go to the well too often when you get behind.”

Lander head coach Bruce Evans:
“Obviously for our team it’s good to get the win. It’s been a long time coming, and we were running the risk of losing our last eight games. I thought our guys did an excellent job of listening and being prepared because we wanted to know exactly what Francis Marion was going to do and score.”

“We talked about this being a new season, and we talked about being one of the few teams still being able to play at this point in time. We haven’t had the season we were hoping to have an opportunity to play one more time really means a lot to me and this basketball team.”

“Our seniors did a good job of stepping up tonight. Zach Evans did a great job at the free throw line and knock down shots at crucial moments, and then Scottie Smith being a force inside and score on block and get the offensive rebounds.”

“We score baskets off our defense, and we were able to get stops and get the ball inside and knock down some jump shots. Shooting the ball well early in the first half got our confidence going that we needed.”

(On the matchup against top-seeded USC-Aiken in the quarterfinals)
“It’s a challenge and we’re looking forward to it. There’s no question in my mind that USC-Aiken is one of the best teams that I’ve seen in my four seasons here. It will be a challenge, but it will be exciting. It will be here on their home court, and there’s absolutely no pressure on us – it’s a game they are expected to win, and I’m sure they will come out fired up.”