GREENWOOD -- The USC Aiken men's basketball team dropped a 94-84 contest at Lander on Saturday afternoon.
The Pacers are now 5-3 on the season, including 0-1 in Peach Belt Conference play. The Bearcats stand at 5-3 overall and 1-0 against conference foes.
Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Davion Cunningham's season-high 31 points on 13 of 21 shooting. He also added seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Rhyjon Blackwell totaled 21 points. Jalen McCoy totaled nine points and six rebounds while Caleb Byrd added seven points. Rafael Rubel chipped in five points and six rebounds.
Down 5-3, Kaleb Siler made a lay-up. A jumper from Cunningham and a three-ball from Blackwell gave USCA a 10-5 lead at the 15:11 mark. Tied at 10-10, Cunningham made a pair of shots for a four-point margin. The tightly contested game saw Cam Perkins and Simeon German hit inside shots for a 20-15 edge at the 11:25 mark.
Leading 25-24, Dwight Canady, Jr., hit two free throws to make it 27-24 at the 8:37 mark. An 8-0 spurt by Lander gave the visitors a five-point advantage before Rafael Rubel nailed a three-ball with 5:49 to play. Down 46-37, Cunningham sliced through the defense for a lay-up. His charity toss converted the three-point play. With 46 seconds to go, German found Cunningham for a three-point bucket, trimming the deficit to three, 46-43.
Down 54-45, Blackwell took a pass from Cunningham and embarked on a run for Vanderslice's squad. He canned the three-ball. Cunningham netted the next seven points, giving the Pacers a 55-54 lead at the 13:28 mark.
Tied at 59-59, Lander went on a 13-1 run. USCA trailed 76-63 before Cunningham found the bottom of the net on a pull-up jumper. A pair of free throws by Blackwell sliced the deficit to eight, 75-67, with 5:17 to go.
The Pacers cut the margin to eight on multiple occasions over the next four minutes. Trailing by 11, German kicked the ball to Blackwell, who drained a three-point bucket with 49 seconds remaining. Blackwell's shot from distance and ensuing foul shot for the rare four-point play made it 90-84 with 39 seconds to play.
For the game, Vanderslice's team hit 31-of-70 (44.3 percent) from the floor, including eight-of-26 (30.3 percent) from the three-point stripe. USCA grabbed 35 rebounds, including 15 on the offensive glass. The Pacers forced 13 turnovers and converted the miscues into 16 points. USCA registered 16 second chance points.
The Pacers return to action Saturday, Dec. 14, when they host Fayetteville State at 4 p.m.
The USCA women's basketball team lost a 76-51 decision at Lander in the PBC opener Saturday afternoon.
The Pacers are now 3-5 overall, including 0-1 in PBC play. The Bearcats stand at 5-2 on the year and 1-0 against league foes.
Trailing 6-0 in the early going, Paris Webster found Sami Bardonaro for a pull-up jumper at the 5:30 mark. Down 11-2, Webster canned a shot. Destiny Harman found Serena Baker for a jumper in the lane, pulling USCA within five at 11-6. A pair of free throws by Kendall Parker made it 13-8 with 1:06 to go in the opening frame.
A 9-0 spurt by the home team pushed the score to 26-10 before Baker connected with Jaya Nelson for a lay-up. Parker buried a three-ball with just over two minutes to play. A jumper by Destiny Harman and a free throw by Webster made it 31-18 at halftime.
Head coach Mark Miller's team opened the fourth frame with a free throw from Webster. Down 63-29, Rhiannon Saller sliced the defense for a lay-up. Twenty seconds later, Saller found Molly Burns for a three-ball. With 7:01 on the clock, Kendall Parker drilled a three-point bucket off a pass from Burns. At 4:04, Burns connected on another shot from behind the three-point stripe. Webster hit a three-point shot and converted a lay-up. McKenzie Lott hit Gracie Huffard for a lay-up for the final points of the game.
Miller's team was led by Parker's team-high 11 points. Webster had 10 points. She also had three assists and three steals. Harman contributed seven markers.
Burns chipped in six points while Saller notched five points and a team-best nine boards. Nelson and Baker had four points apiece. Bardonaro totaled two points and eight boards to go along with two blocks. Huffard had two points.
For the game, USCA hit 18-of-55 (32.7 percent) from the floor, including six-of-21 (28.6 percent) from downtown. The squad had 36 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass. The Pacers dished out 13 assists. USCA registered 10 steals in the game.
The Pacers return to action Saturday, Dec. 14, when they host Livingstone at 2 p.m.