Box Score AIKEN, S.C.--Armstrong Atlantic State moves to 8-2 (2-1 PBC) after defeating USC Aiken (2-6, 0-2 PBC) 81-67 this evening in "The Courthouse". Senior Alex Carter had a career-high 32 points, leading the Pirates to the win over USCA. AASU leads the series 19-10, with a win streak of four games. The Pacers have lost its last five games this season and will look to open the new year with a fresh start. 

The evening opened even from both sides with neither team leading by more than five for the first nine minutes of the game. A three-pointer by Carter at 11:20 on the clock sparked a 9-0 run for the Pirates giving the team a 23-16 edge over the Pacers. Armstrong continued to keep USCA at bay, never allowing the Pacers to get within six through the remainder of first half. Both teams struggled to connect from the field shooting near 30 percent during the first 20 minutes of the game.

USC Aiken charged up from half time and came out of the gate with a 8-0 run sparked by a Richard Blocker three-point basket, edging the Pirates 34-45 with 17:34 remaining on the clock. Although it looked as though USCA was clawing its way back, the Pirates took a quick timeout to regain strength hit a 10-0 run through the next three minutes of play and a 54-32 lead. 

USC Aiken kept pace with Armstrong through the end of the game scoring 45 points to the Pirates 46 second-half points. The first half deficit proved too much, however, as the Pacers never got within eight.

Chris Brown and Kingsley Oguchi led the Pacers with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Brown shot perfect from the charity stripe and added four of seven from the field with two assists. Oguchi connected on one of three beyond the arch and tipped in two rebounds.

USC Aiken shot 64.7 percent at the charity stripe and Armstrong knocked down 82.1 percent at the line.

Carter ended the night leading the Pirates, as he shot 11 of 15 from the field including 5 of six three-point shots and adding three assists.

The Pirates shot 51 percent from the field and the Pacers shot 36.9 percent, its second lowest on the season.

USC Aiken outscored the Armstrong bench 44-20.

The Pacers look to capture its first Peach Belt win as the team travels to Columbus State on Wednesday, January 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Armstrong Atlantic will host Francis Marion on the same night in Savannah, Ga., tipping off at 7:30 p.m.

Newspaper Box Score
Armstrong Atlantic State vs. USC Aiken
12/30/05 7:30 PM at Aiken, S.C. (The Courthouse)
At Aiken, S.C. (The Courthouse)

ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC STATE 81, USC AIKEN 67

ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC STATE (8-2, 2-1 PBC)
Carter, Alex 11-15 5-6 32; Taylor, Bryan 2-6 11-11 15; Galloway, Jamaal 3-6
0-0 9; Sanou, Patrick 4-7 1-2 9; Parker, Kevin 1-2 1-2 4; Harris, Tory 1-5
1-1 3; Massamba, Darly 1-4 1-2 3; Lopez, David 1-1 0-0 3; Kane, William 0-1
2-2 2; Eddy, Jesse 0-0 1-2 1; Hayden, Parker 0-0 0-0 0; Bloemhof, Nick 0-0
0-0 0; Fanning, Jimmy 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-47 23-28 81.

USC AIKEN (2-6, 0-2 PBC)
Brown, Chris 4-7 2-2 13; Oguchi, Kingsley 4-9 3-5 12; Blocker, Richard 4-10
0-0 9; Varga, Lukas 3-8 1-1 8; Coates, Arnold 3-10 2-2 8; Burr, Kenny 2-6
0-0 6; DePaula, Tiago 2-6 2-4 6; Poston, Josh 2-4 1-3 5; Oates, Theo 0-0 0-0
0; Glover, Richard 0-2 0-0 0; Sampson, Anthony 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 24-65 11-17
67.

Armstrong Atlantic State......35 46 - 81
USC Aiken................................22 45 - 67
3-point goals-Armstrong Atlantic State 10-19 (Carter, Alex 5-6; Galloway,
Jamaal 3-6; Parker, Kevin 1-1; Lopez, David 1-1; Massamba, Darly 0-2; Kane,
William 0-1; Harris, Tory 0-2), USC Aiken 8-24 (Brown, Chris 3-4; Burr,
Kenny 2-6; Oguchi, Kingsley 1-3; Varga, Lukas 1-3; Blocker, Richard 1-4;
Glover, Richard 0-2; Poston, Josh 0-2). Fouled out--Armstrong Atlantic
State-None, USC Aiken-None. Rebounds-Armstrong Atlantic State 35 (Taylor,
Bryan 7), USC Aiken 37 (Blocker, Richard 8). Assists-Armstrong Atlantic
State 20 (Kane, William 7), USC Aiken 12 (Varga, Lukas 3). Total 
fouls-Armstrong Atlantic State 22, USC Aiken 24. A-575