PEMBROKE — West Bladen graduate Rahu Purdie helped lead his Lander Bearcats to a 62-59 win over The University of North Carolina at Pembroke on Saturday with 14 points.
Purdie, the Four County Conference Player of the Year during the 2014-15 season, was 5-of-9 from the field, including canning one of his two three-point attempts and hitting 3-of-four from the free throw line.
The Bearcats had opened an 11 point edge before UNCP rallied to pull within 60-59 with just over a minute to play, but a pair of free throws by Lander and two missed three-point attempts by the Braves sealed the win.
The Bearcats are now 7-2 overall and 1-0 in the Peach Belt Conference. UNCP is 5-3, 0-1.
Purdie is a starting guard for the Bearcats. He is 31-of-76 from the field, including 9-of-25 from three-point range and is averaging 9.3 points per game. He is also averaging 2.9 rebounds per game and has seven steals this season.