Box Score MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - Georgia College & State snapped USC Aiken's five-game winning streak with a 69-63 upset victory over the No. 10 Pacers on Saturday afternoon at the Centennial Center.
The loss by USC Aiken knocks the Pacers from their perch atop the Peach Belt Conference standings. The Pacers now join a pack of teams with two losses in league play.
USC Aiken is presently 7-2 in PBC play and 12-4 overall. Georgia College & State's victory improves the Bobcats to 7-2 in the PBC and 13-2 overall.
Chris Commons (Toledo, Ohio/Findlay) led the Pacers in the loss, ending the night with 19 points and one block. Commons was 9-for-13 from the field in the game.
Commons was one of three Pacers in double figures in the game with
Javonte Clanton (Columbus, Ohio/Blinn College) and
Mark Brown (Charlotte, N.C./Hickory Grove Christian) both scoring 10 or more.
Clanton hit three 3-pointers en route to 13 points, while Brown had 10 points. He was a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.
The Bobcats were led in their biggest win of the year by Graham Martin and Shaun Keaton. The duo were the only two to record double-digit outings for GCSU with Martin leading the way with 17 points. Keaton was not far behind with15.
The opening minutes of the second half changed the complexion of the game. USC Aiken was only down by two points at 33-31 at intermission, but the Bobcats rattled off the first eight points of the second half to take a 10-point lead at 41-31.
The Pacers were able to then go on a run of their own to cut the lead to one at 41-40, but the momentum in the game had changed and the Bobcats would never look back from there.
The Pacers would stay close over the rest of the half as they were down by just three at 53-50 with 4:36 left, but they could never get over that proverbial hump as the Bobcats held on for the six-point win.
The Pacers shot 43.4 percent in the game, but the Bobcats shot a little better at 46.3 percent. GCSU's shooting percentage was buoyed by a 52.4 percent effort in the first half.
The Pacers remain on the road next for the conclusion of a three-game road swing. USCA will take on UNC Pembroke at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
The contest is the second game of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader with the No. 19 USC Aiken women slated to take on the UNCP women prior to the men's game.
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