PENSACOLA, Fla. – Nakia Pinkney led five players in double figures and the University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team picked up a 76-64 victory over Goldey-Beacom in its first game of the West Florida Thanksgiving Classic at the UWF Field House.

The Pacers with the victory improve to 5-1 on the 2010-11 season. A member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, Goldey-Beacom, an NCAA Division II institution in Wilmington, Del., falls to 0-4 on the year with the loss to the Pacers.

Goldey-Beacom scored seven of the game's first ten points to own a 7-3 lead with 17:45 remaining in the first half. USC Aiken responded over the next eight and half minutes by going on a 15-5 run to own a 18-12 lead after two Deandra Schirmer (Holton, Kan./Cloud County CC) free throws with 9:12 left in the first half of play.

By the final minute of play, USC Aiken had pushed its lead to double digits at 38-28 after a Nakia Pinkney (Orangeburg, S.C./Orangeburg-Wilkinson) three-pointer with 29 seconds left to play in the first stanza. Goldey-Beacom's Arielle Alford then ended the half with a three-point play in the final seconds of the first half to leave the Pacers with a seven-point 38-31 lead entering intermission.

Kayla Harris (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) and Schirmer led the Pacers in the first half offensively with the two combining for 17 of the Pacers' 38 points in the first half. Harris ended the first half with nine total points, while Schirmer posted eight. Schirmer was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the first half.

The Pacers began the second half on a quick 4-0 spurt over the first minute of the half to own their largest of the game up to that point at 42-31.

Just over seven minutes later, USC Aiken's advantage had been extended to 14 at 58-44 after a Brittany Bowen (Ellicot City, Md./Mt. Hebron) three-pointer with 11:49 left in the second half.

Nevertheless, Goldey-Beacom kept itself in the game despite USC Aiken's ideas of pulling away with the Lightning pulling to within six at 60-54 with just over four minutes left on the game clock.

That would be as close as the Lightning would be able to get with USC Aiken pulling away for the 12-point win.

Pinkney was the top scorer for the Pacers, finishing with 16 total points. Harris was right behind her with 11 points, while Bowen, Schirmer and Hannah DeGraffinreed (Raleigh, N.C./Merrimack) all finished with 10 points.

Jacinda Jones led three Lightning players in double figures with 17 points.

USC Aiken will close out its time in the West Florida Thanksgiving Classic tomorrow (Saturday) at 3 p.m. against Henderson State. The game will be able to be followed live on USC Aiken's official athletic website at www.PacerSports.com.