PEMBROKE, N.C. – In a battle of the top two teams in the Peach Belt Conference East Division, UNC Pembroke was able to hand the nationally 19^th-ranked University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team its first conference loss of the year in a 78-69 win over the Pacers in Peach Belt Conference men's basketball action on Wednesday evening at the English E. Jones Center.

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for USC Aiken (12-3, 6-1 PBC). With the Pacer loss to UNC Pembroke (12-5, 6-1 PBC) the two teams are now tied atop the Peach Belt Conference East Division standings with identical 6-1 league marks.

USC Aiken finished its loss to UNC Pembroke shooting 37.7 percent (23-for-61) as a team. UNC Pembroke hit upon 46.2 percent (24-for-52) of its shot attempts as a team in the game.

Three Pacers finished in double figures with Ronald Zimmerman (Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley) leading the way with 14 points. He also had two rebounds and two steals.

Re'mon Nelson (Columbus, Ohio/Canal Winchester) and Sterling Council (Camden, S.C./Camden) both finished the loss to UNC Pembroke with 13 points each. Council had four assists and two steals in the contest.

Joel Gierbolini (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Long Island) did not record double figures in scoring, but he did bring down 12 rebounds. He also had two blocks and two steals in the game.

Marcus Heath of UNC Pembroke led all scorers in the game with 23 points. He hit 11 of his 13 free throw attempts in the game.

USC Aiken led by as many as four points at 19-15 in the first half, but UNC Pembroke entered intermission clinging to a slight 29-27 advantage.

Both teams were only able to connect upon 36 percent of their shots in the first stanza.

UNC Pembroke opened the second half by rushing out to a nine-point 42-33 lead with 13:44 remaining in the stanza. USC Aiken would quickly go on a 7-0 run from there to pull within two points at 42-40 with just under 11 minutes left in the game.

The Pacers would only be down four points with 28 seconds left in the game, but UNC Pembroke was able to withstand the Pacer charge to hold on for the nine-point win.

USC Aiken will next return home for a special "Black Out" Peach Belt Conference home game against North Georgia at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21.

The special evening will be held in honor of USC Aiken's all-time leading women's basketball scorer and Hall of Fame Inductee, Meredith Legg.

Just weeks after finishing her illustrious Pacer career, Legg was diagnosed with a rare form of Ocular Melanoma. Although the tumor in her left eye has been treated, she's been undergoing treatment for liver metastasis every month for nearly three years. Her last scans showed signs of stability, but her battle is still far from over. She will get a break until after the Hall of Fame Ceremony on Friday, Feb. 17, but will then head back to Philadelphia for more tests.

To help raise funds and awareness for Melanoma Research, the USC Aiken athletic department is asking everyone to wear black to the doubleheader. Black is the official color of Melanoma.

All proceeds on the evening will go towards Melanoma Research and to help Meredith with her medical bills, t-shirts, bracelets, stickers, and raffle tickets will be sold.

In support of Melanoma Awareness Night, the Aiken Mid-Day Lions Club is also requesting that you bring your used eyeglasses (including readers) in support of the Lions Recycle for Sight program. A collection box will be available in the lobby of the Convocation Center on game night. The Lions also collect old cell phones and hearing aids. 

The evening gets underway at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21 with the USC Aiken women tangling with Peach Belt Conference rival North Georgia. The Pacer men will hit the hardwood against the North Georgia men immediately following the women's game at approximately 7:30 p.m. Please wear black and show your support.

The "Black Out Night" also features many other promotions. It is Upward Night at the Convocation Center.

During the doubleheader, which is being sponsored by Fairfield Inn & Suites, there will also be a special veterans recognition. The USC Aiken spirit groups will also be introduced to the crowd over the course of the evening. 

The USC Aiken athletic department will also honor website sponsor Carolina Musculoskeletal Institute throughout the evening.