Box Score

AIKEN, S.C. - Despite another strong effort by reigning USC Aiken Athletic Department Student-Athlete of the Week Mark Brown and two others in double figures, the USC Aiken men's basketball team dropped its first game in eight outings in a 77-71 overtime loss to Peach Belt Conference rival Francis Marion on Wednesday evening at the Convocation Center.

The Pacers' loss snapped a seven-game winning streak that was bookended by losses to Francis Marion. USC Aiken is now 9-4 overall on the 2009-10 season. The Pacers fell to 4-2 in the PBC with the loss to PBC East Division rival Francis Marion, who improved to 12-2 and 4-1 in the PBC with the overtime victory over the Pacers.

The Pacers were on top in the loss to the Patriots for the majority of the game, holding an 11-point 56-45 advantage with 9:51 remaining in regulation. FMU would outscore the Pacers 17-8 over the course of the next six minutes to sit behind just two at 64-62 with 3:03 left in regulation time. Francis Marion's Kaylan Anderson tied the game at 64-64 with two free throws at the 2:24 mark.

Byron Faison (Sumter, S.C./Winthrop) then hit a fall away jumper with 1:46 left to earn the Pacers a 66-64 lead that they thought would be enough to take the game, but Francis Marion's Andrew Smith lay-up with 42 seconds left the game tied at 66-66.

The Pacers had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Jakub Gadomski (Wroclaw, Poland/Community Christian) could not down a jumper in the corner with 10 seconds left on the clock. USC Aiken's Kevin Willis (Atlanta, Ga./Kaskaskia College) then missed his put back attempt to give the Patriots the ball back with little time left on the clock.

FMU would then turn the ball over once again to the Pacers with two seconds remaining. Casey McMasters' (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) three-pointer at the regulation buzzer would just miss to send the game into an extra stanza.

The Patriots would outscore the Pacers, 11-5, in the extra frame to earn the 77-71 victory.

Brown was 6 for 9 from the field for the Pacers in the loss to the Patriots. He hit two three-pointers in the game.

Faison was 50 percent from the field in the game, hitting upon 6 of his 12 shot attempts. Faison also dished out three assists in the game.

Gadomski was the final Pacer in double digits, scoring 11 points and bringing down eight boards.

Francis Marion was guided by Anderson's game-high 24 points. Anderson was 8 for 14 from the field. He was a perfect 7 of 7 from the charity stripe.

USC Aiken as a team finished the FMU loss shooting 41.3 percent (26 of 63). Francis Marion knocked down 44.6 percent (29 of 65) of their shots as a team in their victory.

USC Aiken next hits the road once again for a PBC men's and women's basketball doubleheader against Clayton State in Morrow, Ga. on Saturday, Jan. 16. The Pacer women and the nationally-ranked Clayton State women will get things started at 5:30 p.m. The USC Aiken men and the Clayton State men will then renew their rivalry at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Clayton State does not offer live stats or a webcast, but they will have a radio broadcast for both of the games. The link to the media player broadcast for the women's game is: mms://csuwinmedia.clayton.edu/w0116

To access the broadcast for the men's game this is the link: mms://csuwinmedia.clayton.edu/m0116