Box Score Box Score
AIKEN, S.C. - Byron Faison led four Pacers in double figures and the USC Aiken men's basketball team easily picked up its fourth consecutive victory in a 77-48 Peach Belt Conference win over Georgia Southwestern at the Convocation Center.
The Pacer win marked the first Peach Belt Conference victory of the year for the Pacers, who are now 6-3 overall and 1-1 in the PBC. The victory over the Hurricanes at the Convocation Center was the Pacers' 30th regular season victory at the Convocation Center since the facility opened its doors prior to the commencement of the 2007-08 season. USC Aiken is 30-2 overall and 20-1 against Peach Belt Conference opposition in the regular season during the time frame.
The Pacers led for almost the entire time in the victory over the Hurricanes. The Pacers fell behind at 4-2 on a lay-up by Georgia Southwestern's Tyler Gunnett with 17:01 remaining in the first half. After that basket things would change dramatically as the Pacers would go on a 40-10 run to close out the half with a 42-14 lead.
The Pacers shot 61.5 percent (16-for-26) in the first half, while holding the Hurricane offense to 26.3 percent (5-of-19) shooting.
The Pacer onslaught continued into the second half with USC Aiken outscoring the Hurricanes 35-34 in the second stanza to earn the 29-point victory. USC Aiken led by as many as 39 points in the second half before Georgia Southwestern behind the inside presence of Chris Rawls went on a little run to cut the lead down to 29.
Faison (Sumter, S.C./Winthrop) was 7-for-9 from the field in the contest, hitting on three of his four three-pointers. The Winthrop transfer also had four rebounds and two assists.
Senior forward Seth Leonard (York, Pa./William Penn) was a healthy 8-for-12 from the field in the win over the Hurricanes. He also collected six rebounds and procured two steals. Fellow senior Mark Brown (Charlotte, N.C./Hickory Grove Christian) was 4-for-7 from the floor, ending his evening with 11 total points.
Kevin Willis (Atlanta, Ga./Kaskaskia) was the final Pacer in double figures with 10 points on a 5-for-7 shooting performance.
Sterling Council (Camden, S.C./Camden) just missed on double figures, but he was able to dish out five assists to go along with his nine points.
Rawls was the catalyst for the second half charge by the Hurricanes, acquiring most of his team-high 19 points in the paint where he finished with three dunks, including flushing down two alley-oops from teammate Evan Mobley.
USC Aiken concluded its evening as a team shooting 54.4 percent (31-for-57). The Pacers are now 2-0 in the 2009-10 season when shooting 50 percent or higher as a team in a contest.
Georgia Southwestern was held to a 35.6 percent (16-for-45) effort as a squad. The Hurricanes could not knock down any of their 15 three-point attempts in the game. The Pacer defensive effort in the area tied a long-standing school record of not allowing a three-pointer by its opposition in a game.
The Pacers have now held their last two opponents to under 50 points. In their last win they held Allen to just 47 points in a 68-47 win over the Yellow Jackets.
The Pacers will next travel to Pembroke, N.C. to take on PBC rival UNC Pembroke at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 6. The contest is the second game of a men's and women's basketball twinbill as the USC Aiken women are scheduled to take on the UNCP women prior to the men's game at 5:30 p.m.
For those unable to make it to the games 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.
