Fears' 33 Powers USC Aiken Over Lander

AIKEN, S.C.-- Entering the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Tournament as the top seed, the USC Aiken men’s basketball squad played like it tonight, knocking out Lander University in a quarterfinal battle 96-64. Aiken guard Jeremy Fears hit for 10-of-14 from the floor and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line for 33 points.

Fears yanked down seven boards and tallied four assists with five steals for a balanced line. PBC Co-Player of the Year Chris Commons chipped in a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double and Cordaryl Ballard added 17 points.

The first half was a physical one, dotted with 32 total team fouls. USCA led the battle of free-throws 18-to-12 and also led at the half 42-30. The Pacers’ big three of Commons, Fears and Ballard combined for 38 of the team’s 42 at the half.

The halftime buzzer brought some fireworks, as both team’s coaches needed to be separated by their respective staff during a heated discussion.

The game got only as tight as nine points in the second frame, with the 32-point advantage at the final buzzer being the game’s largest. USCA shot 48 percent (29-60) from the floor and hit 11 three-pointers. The Bearcats managed 36 percent shooting on 19-of-53.

Zach Evans led Lander with 19 points, pulling down eight rebounds. Houston Wright added 11, while Ford Lawrence scored 10. Lander had 21 turnovers, causing just 14.

The Pacers improve to 26-2 on the season and advance to battle No. 4-seed North Georgia College & State University tomorrow at 8 p.m. in the semifinals. No. 9-seeded Lander falls to 10-19 with the loss.

Boxscore

Game 12 – USC Aiken vs. Lander – Quotes

USC-Aiken head coach Vince Alexander:

“This team has been focused all season. We have some great leadership and some great players that have been in some big games. They are very focused, and I thought they did a great job of that tonight.”

“The second half we just needed to get some offensive movement and continue to attack the basket. The other thing was that they didn’t get any easy threes and that they were all contested.”

Junior guard Jeremy Fears:

“It was definitely special because we had three goals – win the conference championship, win the conference tournament championship and then the national championship. Right now, we’re working towards our second, and we put in a lot of sweat and work on the court.”

Junior forward Chris Commons:

“Most of our energy comes from our emotions. It’s all about family. We play as a team and we want to win together. Everybody is going to give us their best shot.”

Lander head coach Bruce Evans:

“Right from the very beginning, it was a very physical ballgame. I thought we held our composure, but our turnovers cost us early. Our kids played well in the first half, and hard the entire game. We just had some unfortunate things happen to us, and you have to give Aiken credit.

“I was proud of the way our guys played. I wasn’t happy at times with our composure, but those are some things that we can work on for next season. To say that the year has been a disappointment is an understatement. We never thought we’d be 10-19.”

“We couldn’t convert, especially early. Then they hit some big threes when we went to a zone. We just couldn’t get stops when we needed them in the second half.”