Box Score AIKEN, S.C.--USC Aiken's men's basketball team evened its record on the season at 5-5 by beating St. Andrews Presbyterian College, 84-69, today at "The Courthouse" on the USCA campus. Senior Bryant Latimer scored a game-high 24 points in the win. David Truesdale came off the bench to score a team-high 19 points for St. Andrews (2-5).

After falling behind by as many as 13 points in the first 20 minutes of action, St. Andrews closed within six at the break and started the second half with a 16-6 run to take a 48-44 lead with 14:26 left in the game. Derrick Darkis sandwiched two three-pointers around a Minda Statkus jumper to cap the run. Darkis scored 13 points off the bench for the Knights.

St. Andrews controlled the game for the first 11 minutes of the second stanza. Justice Graham's trey gave the Knights their largest lead of the game, seven points, 59-52, with 9:55 on the clock. Graham finished with 14 points.

"A lot of teams would have collapsed," said USC Aiken Head Coach Mike Roberts of the run his team faced in the second half.

Latimer's three-pointer with 8:35 to play cut the lead to four points and began a streak of seven unanswered points that allowed the Pacers to even the game at 59-59. The 7-0 run was part of a larger 18-1 USC Aiken run that gave USCA a 10-point advantage with 2:29 left in the game.

"I was really pleased with the way our team responded to some adversity when we were down in the second half," Roberts said. "They kept it together and didn't stop playing."

Latimer scored seven of the 18 USCA points during the run, including two free throws at the 6:17 mark that gave the Pacers the lead for good. The Columbia, S.C., native connected on six-of-12 shots from the field and hit all 10 of his free throw attempts for a season-high 24 points. He also had three assists, three steals and just one turnover in 35 minutes of play. 

Todd Williams' free throw capped the run and put USC Aiken in front 70-60 with 2:29 showing on the clock. The Pacers connected on 12-of-14 free throw attempts in the game's final two minutes. Two more makes from the charity stripe by Latimer with 30 seconds remaining gave USCA its largest lead of the game, 15 points, and set the final score at 84-69. Williams, having not played since Nov. 28 due to injury, finished the day with 17 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots.

USC Aiken shot 51.5 percent in the first half and held a 13-point advantage on two occasions in the game's opening 20 minutes of play. Clarence Ferguson's free throw gave the Knights their largest first half lead, five points, 16-11, with 12:08 to go. But the Pacers answered with a 23-5 run that gave USCA its first 13-point lead, 34-21, with 4:04 before intermission. 

St. Andrews cut the lead to nine on Truesdale's jumper with just under three minutes left on the clock. The Knights closed the half with a 7-0 run after Lee Burton gave the Pacers their second 13-point edge, 38-25, with 1:41 to go.

Truesdale's team-high 19 points, on eight-of-11 shooting, gave St. Andrews three players that scored in double figures off the bench. USC Aiken's starters out-scored the five starting Knights, 77-23. 

St. Andrews shot 38.8 percent (26-of-67) from the field for the game and held a 39-37 rebounding edge. Andrew Hazael's 12 boards led all players. USCA hit on 45.9 percent (28-of-61) of its shots and won the turnover battle, 16-22. 

The Pacers will be back in action on Monday when Wingate University pays a visit to "The Courthouse." Tip-off between USC Aiken and the Bulldogs is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

SCORING:
St. Andrews (69): Andrew Hazael 5, Rommie Williams 2, Matt Akinosho 5, Mike Smith 10, Clarence Ferguson 1, David Truesdale 19, Derrick Darkis 13, Justice Graham 14 

USC Aiken (84): Todd Williams 17, Minda Statkus 6, Curt Triplin 10, Bryant Latimer 24, Lee Burton 20, Leroy Williams 2, Jamall Gray 4, Martynas Valaitis 1