Box Score

AIKEN, S.C. - The University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team dominated Peach Belt Conference newcomer Montevallo for a "Pink Zone" 70-59 victory on Thursday night in the Convocation Center.

The "Pink Zone" game was part of a joint effort between the USC Aiken men's and women's basketball teams and over 600 other schools around the country to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research.

The Pacers took an 11-9 lead on a three-pointer from Daniel Tarailo with 12:32 remaining in the first half and did not relinquish the lead en route to the 21-point victory.

USC Aiken (13-10, 8-6 PBC) has now won seven of their last eight games, all of which have come against PBC opponents. The Pacers are currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak.

Tarailo (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point HS) scored all of her career-high 17 points in the first half on a perfect first half shooting performance that included five three-pointers.

The Pacers dominated the first half scoring from all angles, points in the paint, 16-4, points off turnovers, 13-4, second chance points, 10-4 and bench scoring, 23-5 over the Falcons.

USC Aiken found open looks in head coach Mike Brandt's flex offense and connected on 17-of-35 shots from the floor during the opening 20 minutes.

Brandt's squad maintained their double-digit lead for the entire duration of the second half, wasting no time building on the momentum they had established in the first half by scoring the first bucket of the second stanza on a lay-up from Catherine Cain.

Cain (Dayton, Ohio/Ohio University) finished with a game-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and an assist.

Local standout Kendra Chandler (Aiken, S.C./Aiken HS) finished one rebound shy of a double-double as she poured in 13 points and swiped nine rebounds to go along with a steal and an assist.

Hannah DeGraffinreed also flirted with a double-double performance, ending the Pacer win with nine rebounds and eight points.

The trio of Cain, Chandler and Tarailo accounted for 40 of the Pacers' 70 points on the night.

The Pacer men's and women's basketball teams will conclude their week by traveling to Milledgeville, Ga. to take on Peach Belt Conference foes Georgia College & State on Saturday, Feb. 13. The GCSU women and Pacer women met earlier this season with GCSU earning a 72-59 win over the Pacers at the Convocation Center. The game was not a conference encounter.

Tip-off for the women's game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Pacer men and Bobcat men will tangle immediately following the women's game at approximately 3:30 p.m.

For those unable to make it to the games as always the USC Aiken Sports Information Department has you covered. Through a cooperative effort with GCSU Sports Information, live stats and a free audio webcast will be available for Pacer fans who are unable to attend the games. The live stats can be accessed by clicking on the live stats link at www.pacersports.com.