Box Score AIKEN, S.C.--USC Aiken lost to Armstrong Atlantic State University, 73-67, in overtime tonight at "The Courthouse" in Aiken, S.C., in a men's Peach Belt Conference basketball game. Brian Bain scored nine of his game-high 25 points in the overtime period to lead the Pirates (5-8, 4-2 PBC) to a road victory.
Lee Burton scored 17 points to lead the Pacers (2-12, 1-5 PBC).
With the Pacers down by three and time winding down in the second half,
Burton (Clearwater, Fla.) drove to the basket and dished to
Jamall Gray (Chester, S.C.) who laid the ball in and drew a foul with 13.1 seconds left on the clock. The junior hit his free throw to knot the score at 58. Ian Jones got off a three-pointer on the other end, but it hit off the back of the rim and USC Aiken got the rebound as time ran out.
Gray finished the night with a career best 13 points on six-of-six shooting from the field and one-of-one from the stripe.
Gray's jumper, 16 seconds into overtime, put USCA ahead by two, 60-58. Dave Pisarcik's two free throws with 2:10 left in the extra period put the Pirates out in front, 64-63.
Gray answered on the other end with his last basket of the night and gave the Pacers their final lead of the game, 65-64, with 1:50 left to play. Bain's jumper with 1:19 on the clock gave AASU the lead for good.
The Pirates had three 10-point leads in the second half, but USC Aiken answered each time. Daryl Williams' free throw gave Armstrong their final 10-point lead, 52-42, with 7:06 left in the half. Six unanswered points by
Todd Williams(Hopkins, S.C.) cut the lead to four, 52-48, with 4:31 left on the clock.
Williams finished with 12 points.
Burton's three-pointer, with 1:11 remaining, cut an eight-point Pirate lead to five, 58-53, and began an 8-0 Pacer run to close out the second half. The junior would add two free throws, to draw USC Aiken to within three points, before
Gray'sgame tying lay-up and foul shot.
Burton added two rebounds and three assists to go along with his team-high 17 points.
USC Aiken finished the night shooting 46.4 percent (26-for-56) from the field, including 42.9 percent (6-for-14) from behind the three point arch, and 75.0 percent (9-for-12) from the free throw line. The Pirates hit on 47.1 percent (24-for-51) of their shots from the floor, 35.7 percent (5-for-14) from behind the arch and 76.9 percent (20-for-26) from the charity stripe.
The Pacers were out-rebounded 34-28 and turned the ball over 17 times.
Minda Statkus (Mazeikai, Lithuania) grabbed a game-high nine rebounds for USCA. Daryl Williams and Pisarcik each scored in double-figures for Armstrong with 20 and 12 points respectively.
A three-pointer by
Burton got the Pacers on the board and their first lead of the game, 3-2, with 18:54 left in the first half.
Gray's basket with 17:04 on the clock gave USC Aiken their largest lead of the game, five points, 9-4. Bain gave the game its first tie, 9-9, with a jumper at the 14:06 mark. After Justin Wood's gave the Pirates a three-point lead, 16-13, with a trey,
Bryant Latimer (Columbia, S.C.) tied the game for the fifth time on a lay-up with 7:41 left in the half.
Latimer finished the night with seven points, seven assists, one block and four rebounds. The game marked the first time in his 14-game USCA career that
Latimer did not score in double-figures.
A three-pointer by Bain, with 4:05 remaining, gave Armstrong their largest first half lead, 25-21.
Statkus tied the game for the seventh time, 28-28, with a lay-up at the 1:38 mark. The Pirates ran off four straight points to end the half and give AASU a 32-28 lead heading into the locker rooms.
The Pacers go back on the road, for another Peach Belt Conference game, Saturday when they travel to Spartanburg to play the USC Spartanburg Rifles. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
SCORING:
Armstrong Atlantic State University (67): Brian Bain 25, Daryl Williams 20, Ian Jones 5, Justin Wood 9, Dave Pisarcik 12, Tim Brewer 2
USC Aiken (67): Bryant Latimer 7,
Minda Statkus 5,
Jamall Gray 13,
Lee Burton 17,
Taurus Watson 4,
Todd Williams 12,
Mitch Lewis 9
