GREENWOOD, SC – West Bladen grad Rahu Purdie blistered the nets with 27 points Friday night, but his Lander Bearcats dropped a 97-92 overtime decision to Fayetteville State in the first round of the Finis Horne Classic.
The Bearcats trailed 71-60 with 2:44 left in regulation when Purdie drove for 2 lay-ups and made 4 of 5 free throws to trim the Bronco lead to 74-68 with 1:44 remaining.
Purdie popped in a jumper, drove for another lay-up and drained a 3-point shot to slice the Fayetteville State lead to 82-80 with 38 seconds on the clock. The sophmore guard fouled out two seconds later.
The Tar Heel native tossed in a pair of jump shots and nailed a 3-point shot in the first half to keep Lander within 44-37. His 3-point bomb with 14:08 left to play whittled the lead to 52-49.
Purdie connected on 10 of 14 shots from the field, 3 of 5 3-point attempts and made 4 of 5 foul shots. He also finished with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.
In Saturday’s third-place game, Purdie fired in 14 points and dished out 8 assists but the Bearcats dropped an 80-69 decision to Livingston.
Purdie hit 5 of 10 shots from the field and sank both of his free throws. He made 2 of 6 3-point shots and was also credited with 3 steals.
The Bearcats, now 2-3, will host Erskine Thursday at 7:30.