GREENWOOD, S.C. – In a rematch of last year's Peach Belt Conference Quarterfinal, Clayton State (4-3, 2-1 PBC) could not quite recover from a second half run that helped fuel an 82-76 Lander (5-5, 1-3 PBC) victory in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Tuesday, December 19.
 
Senior forward Denzel Council (Macon, Ga.) paced five Lakers in double-figures as he finished with 15 points, eight boards and a pair of steals while senior guard Dantez Bennamon (Goose Creek, S.C.) had 12 points and four assists. Both players went 6-of-7 from the foul line.
 
Senior guard Nathan Powell (Orlando, Fla.) put up eight boards, six assists and a pair of steals and junior forward Jamil McKee (Greenville, Ga.) and redshirt junior guard Aubrey McRae (Augusta, Ga.) each had 12 points. Junior forward Jaylen Taylor (Hephzibah, Ga.) just missed a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds and junior guard Justin Tuckson (Stafford, Va.) finished with 11 points.
 
It would be a nip-and-tuck affair over the first 6:48 as the lead changed hands six times and deadlocked twice before Clayton State took a narrow 15-14 lead. From there both teams would go cold as neither scored over the next 3:34 before a 5-0 burst gave the Lakers a 20-14 lead with 9:15 left in the half.
 
They would maintain that lead until the Bearcats scored five of the next seven to pull ahead 27-24 by the 5:18 mark. Following a pair of lead changes that left LU up 29-28, Clayton State used a 10-2 run, fueled by six points by Tuckson, to flip the script and retake the lead, 38-31, with 2:33 on the clock. An 8-2 stretch then cut the margin to 40-39 as the teams headed to the break.
 
With the lead at 48-45 just over five minutes into the second half, Lander battled their way back into the lead as they put together a 12-2 run to take a 57-50 advantage by the 11:08 mark. The Lakers would not go away as they clawed their way back to within two on a pair of occasions over the next seven minutes, including 67-65 with 4:08 to play.
 
A conventional three-point play by Nicklas Jonsson, a turnover at the other end and a jumper by Jonsson on the return trip then took the Bearcats' lead from a two point margin to 72-65 with 2:37 on the clock. Even with that surge Clayton State would not give up as they rallied to within three points twice, the last at 79-76 with 21 seconds left, before Lander closed out the 82-76 victory.
 
Jonsson led the Bearcats with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting and was followed by Sergio Smith with a massive double-double of 16 points and 14 boards to go with five blocks. Jordan Dingle came away with 14 points and Zane Rankin and Sidney Robinson each head nine points. Srdjan Ivic rounded things out with seven boards.
 
The Lakers are off until Saturday, December 30 when they host Augusta at The Loch. Game time is slated for approximately 3:30 p.m. following the conclusion of the women's game