GREENWOOD, S.C. | Deon Berrien scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Lander University held off Young Harris College 83-74 in a Peach Belt Conference men's basketball game Saturday (Feb. 1) afternoon at the Finis Horne Arena.

The Bearcats improved to 16-4 overall and to 10-2 in the Peach Belt, while the Mountain Lions slipped to 5-15 and 3-9. Young Harris will face Clayton State University in a 7:30 p.m. league contest Wednesday (Feb. 5) in Morrow,. Georgia.

Lander used a 16-2 run in the opening minutes of the first half to open up a 17-5 lead after a three-pointer by Zane Rankin with 14:27 remaining.Young Harris put together nine unanswered points to pull within two points (28-26) on a Jonathan King jumper with 6:44 to go, The Bearcats reopened a double digit lead - 11 points (41-30) - on a DaJuan Moorer putback with 3:04 left that culminated a 13-4 run. Lander outscored Young Harris 22-5 on second chance points.

Lander, which led 43-34 at the half, took its largest lead - 14 points (64-50) - on an old-fashioned three-point from Berrien with 12:44 remaining. The Bearcats still led by 11 points with seven minutes to go, but the Mountain Lions used an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to two points (74-72) after a Brian Harper layup with 2:18 left. After two Lander free throws, a King dunk got the Mountain Lions back within two points (76-74) with 94 seconds left; however, that would be the final points for Young Harris in the game. Lander hit six free throws and a layup to close out the game.

Rankin added 16 points for Lander, while Desundre Rucker added 13 points and seven rebounds. Elijah Alston and Moorer each collected 11 points and 7 rebounds for the Bearcats, which held a 49-25 advantage on the glass.

Harper, who was 10-of-18 shooting, paced the Mountain Lions with 21 points, while King finished with 14 points and Ryle Owens posted 12 more.