Khalid Mutakabbir scored 21 points, while Al'Lonzo Coleman added 14, to lead the Presbyterian College men's basketball team to the 85-65 win over Lander in exhibition action tonight in front of 655 fans at Templeton Center in Clinton, S.C.
A total of four Blue Hose posted double-figures in scoring with Josh Johnson contributing 12 and Pierre Miller adding 11, to go along with Coleman and Mutakabbir. PC pulled down 38 rebounds, with Mutakabbir pacing the team with eight.
Darion Canty led Lander with 17 points, with Corey Wright following closely with 16. Dennis Rumph and Jermel Kennedy pulled down seven boards apiece as the Bearcats finished with 32 rebounds.
The Blue Hose shot 54.7 percent for the game, after hitting 16-of-28 field goals for 57.1 percent in the first half, leading to a 51-24 lead at intermission. Lander was held to 27.3 percent in the first half, but shot 47.2 in the second half to finish with 37.3 percent.
PC was nine-for-20 from beyond the three-point arc, while Lander was five-of-22. The Blue Hose held the 18-13 advantage in turnovers and were 18-for-20 from the free throw line, compared to an eight-for-15 effort for the Bearcats.
It was 23-8 in the first half before a Lander layup by White gave the Bearcats double-digit points at the 8:35 mark. Lander cut the margin to 10 at 27-17 with 7:17 to go in the half before a 16-6 run, led by two three-pointers from Johnson, extended PC's lead to 20 at 43-23. PC outscored Lander 8-1 down the stretch, highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers by Tyler Deihl in the last 25 seconds, to head into the locker room leading 54-24.
After PC jumped out to a 34-point, 60-26 lead with 16:59 left in the game, the Bearcats clawed back to make it a 20-point margin, 72-52, with 7:14 remaining. The closest Lander would get the rest of the game was a 14-point 79-65 deficit with 1:30 to go. A three-pointer by Mutakabbir with just over a minute to go and another three-pointer by Miller with five seconds on the clock made the final margin of victory 20, at 85-65.
The Blue Hose host Belmont Abbey Tuesday, November 8, in their final pre-season tune-up. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. at the Templeton Center.
