Box Score

PEMBROKE, N.C. - Deandra Schirmer brought down a career-high 14 rebounds and Brittany Bowen scored a career-best 14 points, but it would not be enough as USC Aiken fell 55-52 to UNC Pembroke in Peach Belt Conference women's basketball action on Wednesday evening at the English E. Jones Center.

The loss is the third straight for the Pacers, who dropped to 5-7 overall and 0-3 in Peach Belt Conference action with the loss to the Braves. UNC Pembroke improved to 7-6 overall and 1-3 in the PBC with the victory over the Pacers.

Neither team could find a bucket early on with UNC Pembroke netting the first points of the game with 16:44 left in the first stanza on free throws by JaToya Kemp. Two minutes later Hannah DeGraffinreed (Raleigh, N.C. /Merrimack College) plucked the first basket of the contest for the Pacers when she hit a lay-up with 14:45 remaining in the first half. The score tied 2-2 things changed from there as USC Aiken took over the rest of the half. In her first career start, Bowen (Ellicott City, Md./Mt. Hebron) got things rolling for USC Aiken when she nailed a three-pointer with 13:58 left in the first half of play.

By the 7:14 mark of the first half, USC Aiken held a 21-6 lead. The 21-4 run over the almost nine-minute span gave the Pacers total control as they entered intermission on top by 13 points at 28-15.

Things changed in the second half though as UNC Pembroke went on a 30-14 run over the first 14 minutes of the second half to take back the lead for the first time since scoring the first points of the game at 45-42. UNC Pembroke would go up by as many as six points from there, but the Pacers had cut the Brave advantage to four points after a Triahna Harris (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) with 1:29 left in the contest. Just under 45 seconds later, the UNCP lead was just one at 53-51 after a lay-up on a fast break by Pacer guard Nakia Pinkney (Orangeburg, S.C./Orangeburg-Wilkinson).

Harris hit one of two free throws with 14 seconds left in the game to set the score at 54-52 in favor of UNCP. The Braves took a three-point lead at 55-52 with 12 seconds left after Illya Hunt hit one of two free throws. The Pacers had two shots to tie the game, but Harris and Bowen could not connect, allowing the Braves to earn the hard fought, 55-52 victory.

Schirmer was unable to obtain any points in the loss to UNCP on Wednesday, but she was as equally strong on the offensive glass as she was on the defensive side of things in the loss. Schirmer brought down seven offensive and seven defensive caroms to obtain the 14 boards.

Bowen was the only Pacer in double figures in the game, hitting on four three-pointers in the contest to collect 12 of her 14 points. All nine of her field goal attempts in the game were from beyond the arc. She was 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.

UNCP was led in the win by Kemp, who finished with a game-high 21 points. Kemp was 5-of-8 from the field and 11-for-15 from the free throw line in the Braves' win. She just missed on a double-double with nine rebounds. Talena Faison was the other UNCP player in double figures, scoring 11.

USC Aiken shot 30.6 percent (19-for-62) from the field in its loss, while the Braves did not fare too much better from the floor, going 18-for-51 (35.3 percent). The Braves were proficient from the free throw line where they hit on 15 of their 21 attempts (71.4 percent). USC Aiken was 5-for-9 (55.6 percent) from the charity stripe.

The Pacer men and women will next conclude the tremendously tough four games in seven days stretch with two games in two days on Saturday, Jan. 9 and Sunday, Jan. 10. It all begins with USC Aiken's second consecutive road twinbill against Armstrong Atlantic State in Savannah, Ga. The USC Aiken women will kick off the doubleheader by taking on the Armstrong Atlantic State women at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9. The Pacer men and Pirate men will then square off in the twinbill finale at approximately 3:30 p.m.

The week concludes for the Pacers with Columbus State visiting the Convocation Center for a doubleheader on Sunday, Jan. 10. The Pacer women and Columbus State women will begin the twinbill with a 2:30 p.m. contest. The USC Aiken men and the Columbus State men will then close the afternoon out by playing the second game of the doubleheader at approximately 4:30 p.m.

The USC Aiken-Columbus State doubleheader will be Cedar Creek West Day at the Convocation Center. The USC Aiken athletic department will also honor its spring student-athletes during the twinbill. During the men's game as always there will be the Burger King Breakfast Shot for a Car where one fan will have the opportunity to take a shot for a free car!
For those unable to make it to one or both of 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 game. 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.