PEMBROKE – Visiting Lander scored 18 points off of 16 turnovers and got some help from the rim as time expired to hand the 20th-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team a 62-59 setback in Peach Belt Conference opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.

The Braves (5-3, 0-1 PBC) have now been dealt consecutive setbacks for the first time in two seasons (March 2014), and fell to 2-6 in PBC openers under head coach Ben Miller. It was the third-straight victory for Lander (7-2, 1-0) who improved to 4-0 away from home this season with the result.

Brandon Watts scored 17 points on 5-of-8  shooting to pace the Braves, while Alex Bradley chipped in 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals. J.R. Washington registered a game-best 18 points for the Bearcats, who also got 14 points from Rahu Purdie.

The visitors took a 10-point lead, 58-48, after a pair of free throws from Washington with 5:17 to play, but the Black & Gold slowly whittled away at its deficit and then scored six-straight points to pull to within one, 60-59, after a 3-pointer from Watts with 1:22 to play. Washington drained a pair of attempts from the charity stripe to put the visitors back up by three, but the Bearcats had to hold their breath as a potential game-tying trey by Bradley as time expired rimmed out to preserve the outcome.

The Bearcats shot better than 54 percent from the field in the opening half, but took advantage of 12 turnovers by the Braves in the opening stanza to take control late. A tip-in by Carson Mounce at the 8:16 mark gave the hosts a slight 18-17 edge, but the Bearcats scored the next five points and eventually carried a 31-26 lead into the locker rooms.

The Braves will continue a three-game home stand on Saturday when they lace up to engage in a rematch with region rival Mount Olive (4-4) in a 7 p.m. contest at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.