Box Score AUGUSTA, Ga.--Minda Statkus scored a career-high 23 points for the Pacers but Augusta State finished the game with a 13-5 run and beat USC Aiken, 86-75, tonight in a match-up of Peach Belt Conference men's basketball teams in Augusta, Ga. USCA (9-17, 3-12 PBC) trailed by three points with 3:55 left to play but scored just five points the rest of the way and watched ASU (11-15, 9-6 PBC) pull away for the win. 

Back-to-back three-pointers by Statkus and Bryant Latimer put USC Aiken out in front, 11-6, five minutes into the game. Curt Triplin's lay-up gave the Pacers an eight point advantage, 16-8, with 13:03 left in the first half.

Statkus finished eight-of-10 from the field, two-of-two from three-point land and five-of-eight from the charity stripe and beat his previous career scoring best of 20 points set against Catawba College on Dec. 15, 2003 and Lander University on Feb. 14, 2004. He added seven rebounds and five assists. Latimer made five of his seven three-point attempts and finished with 15 points.

Augusta State slowly chopped away at the Pacer lead and went ahead 31-28 on Dean Brebner's three-point basket at the 4:49 mark. Patrick Curran's lay-up extended the Jaguar advantage to six points with 31 seconds left in the half. Burton's two free throws nine seconds later set the halftime score at 37-33.

Curran led ASU with 20 points. He hit six-of-12 shots from the field and eight-of-12 free throw attempts. The senior forward added eight rebounds and three assists.

James Newsome keyed a 7-0 run early in the second half for the Jaguars. His lay-up began the spurt with 17:36 on the clock and his jumper at the 16:47 mark put Augusta ahead by 10 points, 47-37.
After a three-pointer by Jermale Wilkerson gave ASU an 11-point cushion with 11:04 left in the game, the Pacers answered with an 11-1 run to draw within a single point. Burton scored seven of the 11 points. A lay-up by Statkus with 8:04 remaining cut the Augusta State lead to 58-57. Wilkerson made five-of-10 three-point attempts and finished with 17 points. Burton scored 22 points for USCA and added seven rebounds and five assists.

Burton's trey with 6:57 to go gave USC Aiken the lead, 62-61. Three free throws by the Jaguars, however, gave the lead back to Augusta State for good. Tommy Greer's three-pointer with 3:28 remaining began the game-ending run for ASU. Greer finished with 18 points off the bench and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

The Pacers made 25-of-51 shots for 49 percent. Augusta State finished 27-of-58 for 46.6 percent. Both teams shot well from beyond the three-point arch. USCA hit on 10-of-20 for 50 percent while the Jaguars connected on 12-of-29 three-point attempts for 41.4 percent. ASU won the rebounding battle, 37-31, and committed fewer turnovers, 19-15.

The Pacers will finish off their 2003-04 regular season on Saturday when they host Lander University. USC Aiken will honor its eight seniors prior to tip-off. The activities are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. 

SCORING:
Augusta State (86): Dean Brebner 9, Patrick Curran 20, Jermale Wilkerson 17, James Newsome 10, Ben Butler 7, Jason Mills 4, Tommy Greer 18, Melvin Partridge 0, Clarence Brown 1, Lee Jones 0, Walton Satcher 0, Milos Nikolic 0

USC Aiken (75): Curt Triplin 6, Todd Williams 2, Minda Statkus 23, Bryant Latimer 15, Lee Burton 22, Leroy Williams 0, Jamall Gray 4, Will Spencer 0, Trent Boyd 3