Box Score MOUNT OLIVE, NC – For the second time in school history the USCA men's basketball team won the Mount Olive Pickle Classic as they defeated the Trojans 93-80 on Saturday November 22. With these two wins this weekend the Pacers were crowned champions and also improved to a 3-0 record.
Mount Olive has only lost this classic twice in the 43 years that they have hosted it, in 1999 and in 2008, both time USC Aiken beat them.
Senior forward Chris Commons and senior guard Kinglsey Oguchi both led the Cardinal and Navy with 20 points. Commons shot 8-for-16 from the field and 4-for-11 at the line, while Oguchi was 6-for-8 from the field, 6-for-7 from beyond the arch and 2-for-2 at the line. 
Leading the way for the Trojans was Kendrick Easley with 25 points, going 7-for-17 from the field, 5-for-7 beyond the arch and 6-for-8 at the line. He also recorded eight rebounds, two assists and a steal.
The Trojans made the first basket as Easley hit a three, before the Pacers took it down the court to tie it up with Oguchi's first three of the night and first one of three in less than one minute.
USC Aiken would score seven consecutive points from the free throw line during an 11-0 run to give the Pacers their biggest lead at 25-11. Kason Cheeks' layup with 7:57 remaining ended the Trojans' drought and Aaron Dobson hit a pair of baskets as Mount Olive pulled within 26-18.
 
After USC Aiken built the lead back to double digits, Mount Olive appeared to have a chance to pull off a rare five-point play late in the half. Easley hit a three-pointer to pull the Trojans within 32-24 with 2:31 remaining and USC Aiken was called for a foul under the basket. But the Trojans had the wrong player shooting the first free throw, resulting in a technical foul. Junior guard Mark Brown hit both technical free throws for USC Aiken.
 
Mount Olive never got any closer than eight and Commons' basket with six seconds remaining gave USC Aiken a 38-28 halftime lead.
 
The second half turned into a foul-fest with both teams in the bonus within the first seven minutes. Mount Olive went without a field goal during a four-minute span midway through the half and senior guard Cordaryl Ballard's three-pointer with 12:09 remaining capped a 12-3 run and gave the Pacers their biggest lead at 66-48.
 
Hayes and Craig Hayes combined for 16 straight Trojan points and Mount Olive closed within 78-70 with 6:06 remaining. But Oguchi hit his fifth three-pointer of the game on USC Aiken's next possession and the margin never fell below nine the rest of the way.
 
Hayes, who hit the game-winning free throw with 0.6 seconds left in Friday's 71-70 win over No. 14 Lenoir-Rhyne, scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half. Hayes also pulled down seven rebounds. Staton, a freshman starting at point guard in place of injured senior Justin Melton, narrowly missed his first collegiate double-double with 13 points and a career-high eight assists. Despite being at a height disadvantage, Mount Olive outrebounded USC Aiken 41-33.
 
Oguchi was 6-of-7 from three-point range for USC Aiken. Ballard finished with 18 points, Junior guard Javonte Clanon added 14 points and junior forward Josh Dollard chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds. Commons shared game-high honors with eight rebounds. USC Aiken entered the season ranked in the top five in three national polls, including a No. 1 ranking in The Sporting News Preseason Top 10.
 
USC Aiken was 17-for-29 from the free throw line in the second half alone, while Mount Olive 13-for-23 from the line for the entire game. 

The Pacers next game will be on Saturday December 6 when they travel to Savannah, Ga. to open conference play when USCA goes head-to-head with Armstrong Atlantic State at 4:00 p.m. The Cardinal and Navy will return home when they will host Allen on Saturday December 13 at 3:00 p.m.

USCA 93, MOC 80
Scoring Leaders (FG-FGA, 3FG-3FGA, FT-FTA)
USCA – C. Commons: 8-16, 0-1, 4-11 – K. Oguchi: 6-8, 6-7, 2-2 – C. Ballard: 4-5, 2-3, 8-11 – J. Clanton: 3-7, 1-3, 7-10 – J. Dollard: 4-8, 0-2, 3-5
MOC – K. Easley: 7-17, 5-7, 6-8 – C. Hayes: 8-13, 1-3, 1-2 – D. Staton: 6-12, 1-3, 0-0 – K. Cheeks: 2-4, 0-0, 4-9 – M. Holloman: 3-7, 0-3, 0-0