Box Score AIKEN, S.C.--USC Aiken (11-4, 1-0 PBC) overcame a poor first half shooting performance to connect on 60.9 percent in the final 20 minutes in an impressive 63-36 win over rival USC Upstate (7-5, 0-1 PBC) in women's Peach Belt Conference basketball on Wednesday night. It marked the 11th-straight win for the Lady Pacers over the Spartans. USCA leads the all-time series 32-22.
USC Upstate entered the game ranked third in the PBC in scoring (72.9 ppg) and first in field goal percentage (43.2), but a suffocating Lady Pacer defense held the Spartans to a season-low 36 points on 23.7 percent shooting and forced 25 turnovers. It was the second lowest point total allowed to PBC foe by the Lady Pacers in school history. USCA also swiped a season-best 21 steals including 18 in the first half.
After connecting on just nine of 40 shots in the opening stanza, the Lady Pacers still managed a 26-11 lead at the break.
Lana Mandic scored 11 of her game-high 18 points in the second half as USCA drained 17-of-28 attempts from the floor. Mandic pulled down eight rebounds, dished out four assists, and tallied a career-high seven steals.
Kasey Mills caught fire in the second half as well pouring in 16 points on 7-of-13 from the field to go with four steals in 22 minutes before leaving the game following a collision with 9:40 to play.
Katie Gebhardt added 11 points and five boards while
Benazura Serbecic, sixth in the conference in rebounding, struggled from the field with four points on 2-of-11 shooting but grabbed a career-high tying 15 rebounds.
Mindy Allee tossed in five points to go with six assists and five steals.
Yakeeshia Ross led the Spartans with eight points on 4-of-11 shooting and seven boards. Keoshia Worthy added seven points.
With neither team able to shoot in the first half, the game remained close at 18-11 with 2:39 remaining until half. But a three-point play by Gebhardt, a Mills' fast break lay-up, and four points from Mandic stretched the margin to 15 at the break.
USC Upstate began the second half with just two field goals in the opening 8:11 as
Nola Grant's jumper in the paint pushed the bulge to 43-19. Vania Redd tried to spark a Spartan comeback with a trey from the top of the key capping a 7-0 run, but the Lady Pacers countered with a 13-0 blast on Grant's bucket at 6:35 to take their largest lead of the game 56-26. The Aiken native finished with seven points and eight boards off the bench.
USC Aiken improves to 7-8 in conference openers including a 2-2 mark when it's against USC Upstate. With a 7-0 start at home, the Lady Pacers improve to 55-17 at "The Courthouse" over the past five seasons and are 34-8 versus divisional foes over that same span.
USC Aiken will host Kennesaw State in a key PBC showdown on Saturday, January 8 at 5:30 PM. This will be "Pack-the-House-Night" with reduced admission of just $1. USC Upstate returns home to Spartanburg, S.C. to host North Florida on Saturday at 2:00 PM.
Newspaper Box Score
USC Upstate vs USC Aiken
01/05/05 5:30 PM at Aiken, S.C. (The Courthouse)
USC AIKEN 63, USC UPSTATE 36
USC UPSTATE (7-5, 0-1 PBC)
Ross, Yakeeshia 4-11 0-2 8; Worthy, Keoshia 2-8 3-4 7; Pallardy, Shannon 2-4 0-0 6; Redd, Vania 1-5 1-2 4; Miles, Lele 2-7 0-0 4; Wynne, Karmella 1-2 0-0 2; Rutledge, Nika 1-2 0-0 2; Blandin, Julia 1-5 0-0 2; Feyes, Stephanie 0-7 1-2 1; Thompson, Shavon 0-5 0-0 0; Shuler, Toya 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 14-59 5-10 36.
USC AIKEN (11-4, 1-0 PBC)
Mandic, Lana 7-16 4-6 18; Mills, Kasey 7-13 0-0 16; Gebhardt, Katie 4-6 1-1 11; Grant, Nola 3-12 1-2 7; Allee, Mindy 2-4 1-2 5; Serbecic, Benazura 2-11 0-0 4; Speller, Eboni 1-4 0-0 2; Szabo, Beata 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-68 7-11 63.
USC Upstate................... 11 25 - 36
USC Aiken......,............... 26 37 - 63
3-point goals-USC Upstate 3-16 (Pallardy, Shannon 2-4; Redd, Vania 1-2; Rutledge, Nika 0-1; Feyes, Stephanie 0-5; Shuler, Toya 0-2; Worthy, Keoshia 0-2), USC Aiken 4-11 (Mills, Kasey 2-5; Gebhardt, Katie 2-3; Speller, Eboni 0-2; Mandic, Lana 0-1). Fouled out--USC Upstate-None, USC Aiken-None. Rebounds-USC Upstate 41 (Miles, Lele 8), USC Aiken 51 (Serbecic, Benazura 15). Assists-USC Upstate 8 (Worthy, Keoshia 2), USC Aiken 20 (Allee, Mindy 6). Total fouls-USC Upstate 14, USC Aiken 12. A-695.
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