Box Score

DAHLONEGA, Ga. - A dominating second half and a career high 21 points from Nakia Pinkney helped lead USC Aiken to its second consecutive victory in a 68-55 Peach Belt Conference victory over North Georgia on Monday evening.

The victory improves the Pacers to 8-9 on the 2009-10 season. USC Aiken's winning streak improves them to 3-5 in Peach Belt Conference action. North Georgia drops to 5-8 overall, including 1-4 in the PBC with the loss to the Pacers.

The Pacer win was truly a tale of two halves.

The Pacers started the game off cold, shooting only six percent (1-for-18) from the field in the opening 11 minutes. North Georgia took advantage, holding a 15-3 lead with 8:53 remaining in the first half.

USC Aiken and North Georgia would score an equal 19 points over the rest of the half to leave USC Aiken behind 12 points at 34-22 at intermission. The Pacers did most of their damage in the first half from beyond the arc where they hit six of their eight field goals in the half.

The Pacers dramatically improved their field goal percentage as a team down the stretch in the first half to end the first half shooting 24 percent (8-for-33). The Saints had eight less field goal attempts in the half, but they were able to hit upon 56 percent (14-for-25) of their field goal attempts in the half.

Once again spurred on by the three-point shot, USC Aiken opened the second half on a 6-2 run to cut the Saint lead to just eight points at 36-28 with just under 15 minutes left in the second half. The Pacer run continued to 10-2 by the 14-minute mark in the second half with the Pacers behind just four points at 36-32 after a Pinkney (Orangeburg, S.C./Orangeburg-Wilkinson) three-pointer. A Pinkney jump shot a couple minutes later kept the run going at 12-2, but, more importantly, it pulled the Pacers behind just two points at 36-34 with 12:42 remaining in the second half.

Pinkney's hot streak in the opening minutes of the second half continued a little while later with the Pacer guard hitting a three-pointer to give USC Aiken its first lead of the game at 39-38 with 11:10 left on the clock.

The Pacer lead was 12 points at 54-42 by the 7:31 mark. Two Lindsay Sundberg (Mansfield, Conn./E.O. Smith) three-pointers around the seven-minute mark capped off a 32-8 run by the Pacers over the course of the first 13 minutes of the second half.

USC Aiken would not allow the Saints to get much closer as the Pacers would lead by as many as 18 points at 66-48 in the second half. In total, USC Aiken outscored the Saints 46-21 in the second half.

USC Aiken's strong second half helped them end the victory shooting 37 percent (23-for-63) from the field as a team. USC Aiken still secured most of its field goals in the game from beyond the arc where they were 12-of-31 (39 percent).

The USC Aiken defense held North Georgia to 16 less field goal attempts in the game with the Saints taking just 47 shots from the field en route to a 45 percent (21-for-47) shooting performance. The Saints were just 4-for-15 (27 percent) from beyond the arc.

Pinkey was 7-for-13 (54 percent) from the field in the victory. She was 5-8 (63 percent) on her three-point attempts in the game. The junior guard also had one block, three steals and two rebounds in the win. The 21 points best her previous career high of 14 set in USC Aiken's home victory over Tusculum in the 2008-09 season.

The sharp-shooting Pinkney was one of three Pacers in double figures in the game with Sundberg and Catherine Cain (Dayton, Ohio/Ohio University) both putting up 15 in the win. Cain was 5-for-5 from the charity stripe in the game. She was 5-for-14 from the field. Sundberg tied Pinkney for game-high honors in three-pointers with all 15 of her points coming on her five three-pointers.

Whitney Randolph was the star for the Saints in their loss. Randolph finished with a double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds. She was 8-for-12 from the floor in the game.

USC Aiken's men's and women's basketball teams will next return home for the first two of three home doubleheaders. The Pacer men and women will first take on new league member Flagler for a PBC men's and women's basketball twinbill on Wednesday, Jan. 20. The doubleheader will be Leavelle McCampbell Middle School Night at the Convocation Center. It will also be Beef 'O Brady's night with special contests sponsored by Beef 'O Brady's taking place during both the men's and women's games that evening. The action will get underway at 5:30 with the Pacer women taking on the Flagler women for the first time in school history. The Pacer men will then take on Flagler for the first time as league members at approximately 7:30 p.m.

The week will conclude with the Pacers taking on proximity and league rival Lander for a PBC men's and women's basketball twinbill at the Convocation Center on Saturday, Jan. 23. The night will be sponsored by St. Paul Lutheran Church, which will honor its basketball teams during the evening. It will also be Millbrook Baptist Church Upward Basketball Night at the Convocation Center. Millbrook Baptist Church Upward Basketball and Cheerleading is a ministry of Millbrook Baptist Church and is open to the Aiken Community.

During both of the doubleheaders at the Convocation Center to close out the week, local favorite Burns Dance Studio will be performing for all those in attendance as well.

For those unable to make it to any of the game on the week as always the USC Aiken Sports Information Department has you covered. Live stats and a live webcast will be available for Pacer fans who are unable to attend the games. The live stats and webcast can be accessed for free by clicking on the live stats link and the video link at www.pacersports.com.