Box Score

AIKEN, S.C. - The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team battled Montevallo into overtime but came up short against the Falcons, 82-76, on Thursday evening in the Convocation Center.

The Pacers overcame a four-point halftime deficit, 34-30, outscoring the Falcons 36-32 over the final 20 minutes of regulation to force overtime.

Sterling Council hit another clutch late game mid-range jumper for USC Aiken, forcing overtime with the Falcons.

With 3.3 seconds left on the clock, USC Aiken (13-8, 8-6 PBC) head coach Vince Alexander's team emerged from a timeout and put the ball into the hands of the sophomore from Camden, S.C. who nailed a game-winning jumper against Augusta State just two weeks earlier.

Council (Camden, S.C./Camden HS) rolled off a screen just outside the right edge of the paint and pulled up for another heroic jump shot that once again fell through the net for the Pacers. The jumper tied the game at 66-66.

USC Aiken struggled to find their shooting rhythm during the extra five minutes. Montevallo in turn hit 4-of-4 field goals and made seven trips to the free-throw line during overtime, converting six of those attempts at the charity stripe to emerge with the six-point victory.

The Falcons and Pacers battled back-and-forth all night in their first ever showdown at the Convocation Center, exchanging the lead six different times and squaring the match seven different times, including the 66-66 tie at the end of regulation.

Casey McMasters (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) led USC Aiken's scoring effort with 19 points and six rebounds, while Byron Faison (Sumter, S.C./Winthrop) added 16 points in the contest.

Senior Seth Leonard (York, Pa/William Penn HS) also finished in double-figure scoring with 10 points to go along with seven rebounds and an assist.

Montevallo's effort was bolstered by double-double performances from both Gerald January, who finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Cecil Coleman, who finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. January blocked seven shots in the contest.

USC Aiken, which had won three of their last four games coming into the contest with Montevallo, will now travel to Georgia College & State for a Feb. 13 showdown with the Bobcats beginning at 7:30 pm.