Box Score AIKEN, S.C.--Nola Grant scored a career-high 24 points as the USC Aiken Lady Pacers (3-2) got off to a quick start but needed a strong finish to post a 69-61 win over the University of Tampa (1-1) in the ConocoPhillips Tip-Off Classic at "The Courthouse" in Aiken, S.C. on Friday evening. Seventeenth ranked Augusta State (1-0) picked up a 77-60 victory over Virginia State (0-1) in the evening's first game. 

USCA got off to an 11-0 lead on a Benazura Serbecic lay-up at 15:41. She finished with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds in 25 minutes. Defense keyed the quick start as Tampa missed its first 16 shots from the field. Jamie Skinner snapped the seven-minute scoring drought after connecting on the first of two free throws to make it 11-1. Monique McDonald converted an offensive putback in the paint with 11:37 remaining for the Spartans' first field goal. 

Senior Kasey Mills drilled a 22-footer as the shot clock expired to push the advantage back to nine at 18-9 with 9:09 left until half. Yoshiko Ozawa's jumper with 2:40 to play trimmed the margin to 27-21, but Tampa did not hit another field goal the rest of the half as USCA claimed a 33-25 advantage at the break. 

Back-to-back threes by Juanita McClinton and DeShaydia Mackey capped an 8-2 Spartan run to open the second stanza with 17:27 remaining. Following a free throw by Serbecic to make it 40-33, McClinton scored five of her team-high 15 points in an 8-0 run including a three-pointer with 12:18 to play to give Tampa its first lead of the game 41-40. 

The lead changed hands six times over the next eight minutes with neither side able to push in front by more than a single possession. Grant's offensive putback of her own missed shot with 4:40 remaining knotted the game at 54-54 and ignited a 13-3 Lady Pacer run. It was Grant's transition bucket with 47 seconds left that capped the run and gave USCA its first second half double-digit lead 67-57. 

Sophomore point guard Mindy Allee drained a trey from the top of the key with 3:07 remaining to really fuel the spurt. She dished out a career-best 11 assists to go with three points and four rebounds. 

Grant converted 11-of-21 shots from the field for 24 points to go with six rebounds and two blocks in her debut before the home crowd. The Aiken, S.C. native has scored 45 points in her last two games. 

Mills added 12 points on 4-of-9 from the field to go along with six rebounds and a game-high five steals. Lana Mandic just missed her second double double of the season with 12 points and eight rebounds. Katie Gebhardt chipped in five points and six boards off the bench. 

Skinner recorded nine points, seven rebounds, and four steals for Tampa but was just 2-of-13 from the field. 

USC Aiken shot 40.0 percent from the field (26-of-65) including an efficient 5-of-9 from deep (55.6 percent), but continued its struggles at the stripe connecting on only 12-of-25 for 48.0 percent. Tampa was 19-of-63 from the floor (30.2 percent), 4-of-13 from downtown (30.8 percent), and 19-of-26 at the line (73.1 percent). 

Tampa will take on #17 Augusta State tomorrow at 1:00 PM followed by USC Aiken and Virginia State at 3:00 PM. 

SCORING:
Tampa (61): Juanita McClinton 15, Jamie Skinner 9, Alexa Kane 8, Shawtavia Mathis 8, DeShaydia Mackey 8, Shaneisha Walton 5, Yoshiko Ozawa 4, Monique McDonald 2, Erica Woodard 2

USC Aiken (69): Nola Grant 24, Lana Mandic 12, Kasey Mills 12, Benazura Serbecic 8, Katie Gebhardt 5, Mindy Allee 3, Eboni Speller 3, Jordon Thomas 2