Box Score AIKEN, S.C.--USC Aiken held Carson-Newman College to 34.5 percent shooting in the second half and overcame an 11-point first half deficit to beat the Eagles, 69-67, today in the final game of the Fourth Annual Conoco Phillips Classic hosted by USCA at "The Courthouse." The Pacers (3-0) forced 25 turnovers for the game and were led in scoring by Curt Triplin with 14 points. Braun Dabbs led Carson-Newman (0-3) with a game-high 34 points.

USC Aiken opened the game by missing its first nine shots from the field and made just two-of-20 through the first nine and a half minutes of play as the Eagles built an 11-point advantage, 17-6. 

An 8-2 Pacer run, including five points from Richard Blocker, cut the CNC lead to three, 20-17, with 6:15 left in the first half. Jumpers by Josh Geyer, with 2:37 to go, and Anthony Sampson, with 1:54 remaining, brought USCA to within one point each time but the Eagles pushed out by five, 31-26, with just over a minute before halftime. A jumper by Arnold Coates and a free throw by Sampson in the final minute sent USC Aiken to the locker room trailing by just two points, 31-29.

Carson-Newman connected on 50 percent (12-of-24) of its first half shot attempts, including four-of-10 from beyond the three-point arch. The Pacers' slow start shooting the ball left the home team to just 26.3 percent (10-of-38) shooting from the field in the first 20 minutes.

After a three-pointer by Dabbs 52 seconds into the second half gave the visitors a three-point advantage, USC Aiken rolled off eight unanswered. Geyer's lay-up at the 18:12 mark gave the Pacers their first lead and the lead for good. Coates' lay-up capped the run and put USCA up by five with 17 minutes remaining in the game.

Kenny Burr's trey with 12:12 on the clock pushed USC Aiken out in front by eight. The Eagles cut that deficit in half, but after Darren Williams made it 46-42, CNC went cold, making just one-of-seven shots from the floor over the next eight minutes. That allowed for a 14-5 run that gave the Pacers their largest lead, 13 points, 60-47, with three minutes left in the game.

Thee turnovers and just one made field goal in the final two minutes by USC Aiken allowed Carson-Newman to close the gap. The home team made five-of-six free throws in the final 21 seconds to hold off the late rally.
USCA improved to 58.3 percent shooting in the second half. Four players finished with double-digit point totals. After Triplin's team high 14, Blocker had 13, Geyer finished with 12 and Coates scored 11. Blocker led the Pacers with seven rebounds and Trent Boyd dished out a game-high 10 assists.

Dabbs was the only Eagle to reach double figures. He made 10-of-20 from the field, six-of-11 from deep and eight-of-10 from the free throw line for his 34 points. He also added seven rebounds, five assists and one steal. 

In the first game of the day, and the third game of the Conoco Phillips Classic, Augusta State defeated Carver Bible College by a score of 115-47.

The Pacers' next game will be Friday when they travel to Clinton, S.C., for the South Atlantic/Peach Belt Clash hosted by Presbyterian College. USCA will face Presbyterian at 8:00 p.m., on Friday and Newberry College at 6:00 p.m., on Saturday.

SCORING:
Carson-Newman College (67): Braun Dabbs 34, Amonzo Gantt 9, Marquise Foster 7, Andy Tipton 6, Darren Williams 6, Rodrick Gresham 3, Anthony Jones 2, Stan Davis 0, Brian Bogus 0

USC Aiken (69): Curt Triplin 14, Richard Blocker 13, Josh Geyer 12, Arnold Coates 11, Kenny Burr 6, Trent Boyd 4, Josh Poston 4, Anthony Sampson 3, Marcus Robinson 2