AIKEN, S.C. – The 2009-10 University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball schedule was released by eighth-year head coach Mike Brandt on Monday, July 20.

The 2009-10 USC Aiken women's basketball schedule will feature a full Peach Belt Conference slate along with 12 home women's basketball games at the Convocation Center. USC Aiken's 2009-10 schedule will be extremely tough as the Pacers will take on six of the eight teams to participate in the 2009 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional in the upcoming year. 

“This is again arguably one of the toughest Division II schedules we could come up with,” remarked Brandt. “There certainly are not any cupcakes on it. I know to get into the NCAA Tourney with an at-large bid the strength of schedule is a huge component. If we are fortunate enough to turn out another decent record our schedule will sure help. Hopefully, our players will gel quickly and we will be a strong team in the upcoming season.”

The Pacers accomplished something that had never been done in program history prior to last year when they claimed their third consecutive 20-win campaign. The Pacers' 20th win of the season on senior night against PBC rival Georgia College & State in late February also happened to be the 500th win in program history.

The Pacers built on the momentum of their regular season-ending win over GCSU to advance all the way to the PBC Tournament championship game. The Pacers dropped their bid for their first PBC Tournament championship, but they were awarded for a strong 2008-09 season with a trip to the their third ever NCAA Division II Tournament.

USC Aiken eventually bowed out in the first round of the tournament to regional finalist and PBC rival Francis Marion. Despite the loss in the first round of USC Aiken's second trip to the Division II Tournament under Brandt, the Pacers' 2008-09 season was one of the brightest in school history.

USC Aiken enters the 2009-10 campaign looking to claim their fourth consecutive 20-win season. The Pacers graduated four key seniors off of the 2008-09 Division II Tournament squad, but nevertheless another 20-win year is not out of the realm of imagination in a program on firm footing under Brandt.

Brandt and the Pacers return two starters from the 2008-09 team, including local product Kendra Chandler (Aiken, S.C./Aiken), who has the ability to be one of the top players in the PBC and the nation.

Chandler is joined back in the starting lineup by Triahna Harris (Springfield, Va./West Springfield). Harris started in and played in every game in the 2008-09 season.

The upperclassmen tandem will form one of the most potent backcourts in all of Division II.

USC Aiken overall welcomes back eight letterwinners to a 2009-10 team that coupled with seven newcomers should once again keep the Pacers at the top or near the top of the PBC.

Going for their second straight trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament and their fourth consecutive 20-win campaign in the 2009-10 season, USC Aiken's upcoming schedule will be a little different in that the landscape of the PBC has changed.

The addition of Montevallo (Ala.) and Flagler (Fla.) means that the PBC now has 13 teams. Due to this, the PBC has split into two divisions. USC Aiken is in the new East Division along with Lander, Flagler, Francis Marion, Augusta State and Armstrong Atlantic State.

The format for the 2010 PBC Tournament has also changed with only eight of the top 13 teams qualifying for the event to be held for the third straight year at the Convocation Center in Aiken. The top two seeds from each division will host a first-round contest on campus on March 3. The four winners will then advance for the new PBC Final Four to be held the first weekend of March (5-7).

The 2009-10 USC Aiken women's basketball schedule begins with an exhibition contest against NCAA Division I College of Charleston. The Cougars snapped USC Aiken's impressive three-game winning streak over Division I foes during the regular season in the 2008-09 season, but regardless USC Aiken has claimed a victory against Division I opposition in three of their last four outings against Division I competition.

The Pacers will try and replicate their success out of the gate in the 2008-09 season that saw them start 6-0 in the upcoming year. USC Aiken's 2009-10 regular season commences on Wednesday, Nov. 18 with a trip to Anderson, S.C. to take on defending Conference Carolinas champion and 2009 NCAA Division II Tournament team Anderson College. The Pacers bested the Trojans, 64-46, last year at the Convocation Center.

After taking part in the Augusta State Lady Jaguar Tip-Off Invitational in Augusta, Ga. on Nov. 20 and 21, USC Aiken will face off against 2009 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional host and South Atlantic Conference Tournament champion Lenoir-Rhyne at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24 in Hickory, N.C. The Pacers have never lost a game to the Bears, entering the game 4-0 all-time against L-R. The two have not squared off since 2005. 

USC Aiken will close out the month of November by taking on SAC power and 2008 Elite Eight participant Wingate. The game against the Bulldogs will be the Pacers' first home date of the year. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 30 at the Convocation Center. 

USC Aiken's PBC campaign begins with the Pacers having a chance to avenge their ouster from the NCAA Division II Tournament to PBC foe Francis Marion. The Pacers and Patriots will tangle at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5. The same week, USC Aiken will get another shot at a top mid-major Division I program when they travel to Rock Hill, S.C. to take on Winthrop on Saturday, Dec. 5 at a time yet to be determined. The Pacers and Eagles are an even 5-5 against one another all-time, but they have not played since 1999. USC Aiken is 3-3 under Brandt against Division I schools.

The contest against the Big South's Winthrop ends an early season long road swing for the Pacers. Things change from there though as USC Aiken concludes non-conference and continues PBC action with a season-high six straight games at the Convocation Center, beginning with a non-conference game against Georgia College & State on Saturday, Dec. 12.

The Pacers will enter the Holiday Break after GCSU with two home games against 2009 NCAA Division II Tournament teams in L-R (Thursday, Dec. 17) and Carson-Newman (Saturday, Dec. 19). The Saturday game against the Eagles is the Pacers final non-conference game of the year.

After 11 days off, USC Aiken will enter the final stretch and the PBC portion of its 2009-10 campaign on Wednesday, Dec. 30 against Columbus State at 1:30 p.m. USC Aiken's six-game homestand concludes with a contest against rival Augusta State (Saturday, Jan. 2) and a meeting with Georgia Southwestern at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 4. 

The Pacers conference schedule will feature the Pacers' first ever PBC meetings with new league members Flagler and Montevallo. The Pacers will take on Flagler for the first time in program history at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at the Convocation Center. 

The Pacers will square off against Montevallo for the first time as conference foes at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11. The Pacers are 2-0 all-time against the Falcons, besting Montevallo in each of the last two seasons, including 74-54 last year at the Convocation Center. The contest against the Falcons will serve as USC Aiken's annual “Pink Zone” game. 

USC Aiken will close out its 2009-10 home regular season schedule with two consecutive home dates against UNC Pembroke (Wednesday, Feb. 17) and Armstrong Atlantic State (Saturday, Feb. 20). The game with the Pirates will serve as USC Aiken's senior day.