Box Score GREENWOOD, S.C.--Playing without its top two scorers, USC Aiken fell behind by as many as 19 points to Lander University. The Pacers (8-14, 2-9 PBC) stormed back with a 12-0 second half run to close within five points, but the Bearcats (7-16, 3-9 PBC) held on and defeated USCA, 84-72, tonight in Greenwood, S.C. Bryant Latimer led the visitors with 22 points. Kenneth Nether scored a game-high 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Lander. 

The Bearcats used an early 14-4 run to break open a 7-4 game. Nether's basket and free-throw with 16:13 on the clock began the run. He would score seven of the 14 points. Richard Gilliam's lay-up at the 11:19 mark gave Lander a 13-point advantage, 21-8.

A three-pointer by Martynas Valaitis with 9:21 to go in the first half cut the deficit to 10 points, 26-16. The Bearcats answered with nine consecutive points to move out by their largest lead of the game, 19 points, 35-16, with 7:04 remaining before intermission.

Back-to-back three-pointers by Valaitis and Latimer allowed the Pacers to draw within nine points with just over three minutes to play in the first half. Valaitis finished the night with a career best 11 points. Bryan Chattman's bucket with 58 seconds to go sent Lander to the locker room with a 13-point advantage, 46-33.

Michael Kuhn's steal led to a bucket and a foul on the other end to start the second half, giving the Bearcats a 16-point lead with 18:37 left in the game. After Nether's two free-throws at the 14:37 mark pushed the home team ahead by 15, Lander went more than four and a half minutes without scoring.

USC Aiken put together a 12-0 run, including five points from Latimer, to close the gap to just five points, 60-55, with 10:35 remaining. Latimer finished with eight rebounds and six assists to go along with his 22 points on six-of-20 shooting from the field. The senior made just two-of-10 attempts from three-point land but connected on all eight of his shots from the charity stripe.

After the Bearcats edged out ahead by 12 points with 3:58 to play, the Pacers answered with one more run. USCA out-scored Lander 9-2 to draw back within five points, but could not get any closer. LU connected on five-of-six free-throws in the final minute to seal the victory.

The Bearcats made 51.4 percent (18-of-35) of their shots in the first half while USC Aiken connected on 48.1 percent (13-of-27) of its first half attempts from the field. For the game the Pacers out-shot Lander 46.3 percent to 45.9 percent. USCA also held a 36-32 advantage on the boards. USC Aiken committed 18 turnovers compared to just seven by LU.

Senior Minda Statkus finished with a career-tying 20 points and added eight rebounds.

The Pacers will return to action on Wednesday when the host USC Spartanburg at "The Courthouse" on the USC Aiken campus. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. 

SCORING:
Lander (84): Michael Griffin 12, Kenneth Nether 28, Bryson Chattman 9, Michael Kuhn 8, Emanuel Hodrea 11, Richard Gilliam 6, J.T. Greene 7, Jarred Jackson 3, Arturs Stalbergs 0

USC Aiken (72): Jamall Gray 0, Trent Boyd 0, Bryant Latimer 22, Todd Williams 14, Minda Statkus 20, Leroy Williams 5, Cameron Conover 0, Martynas Valaitis 11, Mira Jonuska 0