BLUFFTON, South Carolina – The University of South Carolina Beaufort men's basketball team concluded its season series against Lander University Monday evening, as Lander pulled away late for a 95–82 victory over the Sand Sharks.
USCB was led by Evan Kilminster with 20 points, one of four players to reach double figures. Shea Champine added 13 points, while Kevaughn Price and Ismail Rashid chipped in 10 points apiece.
The Sand Sharks move to 17-8 overall with an 11-6 conference record.
Lander struck first with a three-pointer at the 19:32 mark of the opening half. Price put the Sand Sharks on the board, and Dominic Eason followed with a steal and a dunk to give USCB its first lead of the game. Lander quickly responded, pushing its early advantage to 15-6.
Trailing 19-12, Kilminster sparked a Sand Sharks run with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to four. He followed with another triple to bring USCB within one and then scored his eighth straight point to give the Sand Sharks a 20-19 lead. Lander answered with multiple three-pointers of its own, building an eight-point cushion at 32-24 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the half.
Lander controlled much of the first half, maintaining its lead. A layup by Champine brought USCB within four points — the closest the Sand Sharks would get before the break. A late three-pointer sent USCB into halftime trailing 48-41.
Lander opened the second half with a three-pointer and scored the first five points to extend its lead to 12, its largest at that point in the game. Price responded with back-to-back layups, and Kilminster added a three-pointer followed by a steal and dunk to cut the deficit to seven.
The Sand Sharks continued to chip away, trimming the margin to 60-56 with 15 minutes remaining after another Champine dunk. USCB pulled within one following a layup by Dylan Lewis, but Lander answered with six straight points to rebuild a seven-point lead.
USCB trailed by four with five minutes remaining before Rashid cut the deficit to three. However, Lander closed the game on a 9-0 run to secure the 95-82 victory.
USC Beaufort returns to the road Wednesday evening for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off against Flagler College before coming home for its final regular-season home game Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against Clayton State University.
