Anderson, S.C. – Nicklas Jonsson poured in a career-high 29 points and Rahu Purdie added 27 as the Lander men’s basketball team erased a 10-point first half deficit to knock off Anderson on the road Saturday afternoon in the Abney Center.
Lander (1-1) outscored the Trojans (1-1) 44-34 in the second half and used a 17-3 run early in the second half to pull ahead en route to its first victory of the season.
The 6-foot-5 Jonsson netted 20 of his 29 points in the second half, burying back-to-back 3-pointers with the Bearcats down 40-36 to open up Lander’s big run. The sophomore from Copenhagen, Denmark, finished the night 10-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, with three of his treys coming in the final 19 minutes.
A Purdie 3-pointer put Lander up 56-45 with 12:28 remaining as Anderson would not pull closer than six points the rest of the way. The Bearcats held a 36-28 advantage on the glass, including 14 offensive rebounds that turned in 17 second-chance points.
Chris Tate netted nine points off the bench, while Srdjan Ivic grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Jordan Dingledished four assists for the Bearcats and TJ Knight made all three of his shots from the field while collecting seven boards.
Purdie shot 8-of-16 from the field and 5-of-10 from three-point range. The game marked the first time Lander had two players finish with over 20 points since Purdie and JR Washington netted 20 and 21, respectively, in a win USC Aiken on January 25.
The Bearcats face a 10-day hiatus before their home opener on Tuesday, November 21, against Wingate.
