From staff  and wire reports

GREENWOOD, S.C. — Livingstone’s men’s basketball team lost at Lander,  89-83, on Saturday.

Roger Ray scored 22, Cameron Burhannon had 20 points, and Ramel Belfield added 18 for the Blue Bears.

Rahu Purdie scored 25 and Jordan Dingle had 19 to pace the Bearcats (3-4).

Livingstone shot 9-for-14 on 3-pointers and 57.1 percent from the field, but the  Bearcats won the game on the boards where they pounded Livingstone, 40-24, and limited the Blue Bears (1-3) to just one offensive board.

Lander led by as many as 22 points in the first half and was still up by 17 at halftime.

The Blue Bears opened the second half with a 12-3 run and got back in game. Ray scored eight of those 12 points.

Tony Stallworth’s transition 3 from the left side got Livingstone within 71-68 with 5:31 left, but Lander was able to hang on.

   Lander 89, Livingstone 83

LIVINGSTONE (83)

Ray 22, Burhannon 20, Belfield 18, L. Elmore 7, McNeill 4, Stallworth 3, Smith 2, Lewis 2, N. Elmore 2, Patterson 2, McClendon 1, Moore, Walker, Livingston, Pullins.

LANDER (89)

Purdie 25, Dingle 19, Ivic 12, Jonsson 11, Rankin 9, Tate 7, Smith 4, Marra 2, Knight, Robinson, Lozier.

Livingstone    29  54   —  83

Lander   46   43  —  89

       

Men’s hoops

MISENHEIMER – The Pfeiffer men’s basketball team remained unbeaten with a 123-107 victory over Averett on Saturday  in Merner Gymnasium.

Josh Calhoun scored a team-high 31 points for the Falcons (3-0).  Brendan Jones added 18.

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Claflin’s Tre Williams (Carson) scored 14 points and had four assists in  Saturday’s win against St. Augustine’s.

Prep basketball

The North Rowan  boys  (3-0) are ranked fifth in 1A.

NFL

San Francisco 49ers punter Bradley Pinion (NW Cabarrus)  is the team’s nominee for the 2017 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.

The award is given annually to the player who best exemplifies a commitment to philanthropy and community involvement. The 32 nominees will be pared down to three finalists on Jan.21.

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CHARLOTTE  — Case Keenum entered the league as an undrafted rookie in 2012, one year after Cam Newton made a splash as the No. 1 overall pick by the Carolina Panthers.

While the two quarterbacks have taken dramatically different paths, it is Keenum who has the Vikings positioned to win the NFC North — and perhaps even earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Vikings (10-2) can clinch their second division title — and first with Keenum at the helm — in three years by beating Newton’s Panthers (8-4) on the road Sunday. Minnesota can also clinch if Green Bay and Detroit lose or tie.

NBA

CHARLOTTE  — Jordan Clarkson scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and Los Angeles BEAT fatigued and short-handed Charlotte.

Brandon Ingram added 18 points, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 15 and Lonzo Ball had five points and nine assists for the Lakers. They have won two straight after losing five in a row.

Kemba Walker scored 23 points and Dwight Howard had 21 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte. The Hornets have lost seven of eight.