MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The nationally 24^th-ranked University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team picked up an impressive 71-65 Peach Belt Conference road victory over Montevallo on Thursday evening at BankTrust Arena.

In a battle of the top teams from the East and West Divisions of the Peach Belt Conference, the East Division-leading Pacers improved to a league-best 9-1 in conference action in the 2011-12 season. Still the leaders of the West Division even after Thursday's loss to USC Aiken, Montevallo (14-5, 5-3 PBC) dropped to 5-3 in conference play with the loss to the Pacers.

USC Aiken (15-3, 9-1 PBC) has now won seven of its last eight outings.

Sterling Council (Camden, S.C./Camden) led three Pacers in double figures in the game with 17 points. Council was 9-for-10 from the free throw line for USC Aiken in the game.

Ronald Zimmerman (Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley) finished with 15 points in the Pacer win, while Maurice Hubbard (Centreville,Va./Ball State) posted 11 points in the USC Aiken victory.

Montevallo was led by DJ Rivera in its loss to the Pacers. Rivera finished with a game-high 19 points.

USC Aiken as a team shot 41.7 percent (20-for-48) in the win over the Falcons. Montevallo shot 42.6 percent (23-for-54) as a team.

The game was tight through the opening minutes with USC Aiken's largest lead just four during the first 10 minutes. The game was tied at 16-all with 9:37 left until the halftime break.

The game was even at 20-20 with 8:26 left in the first stanza, but USC Aiken proceeded to go on a 10-2 spurt over the next three minutes to take an eight-point lead at 30-22 with just over five and a half minutes to go until intermission.

Montevallo would go on a run of their own over the next five minutes to tie the game at 32-all with 29 seconds remaining in the first half.

Zimmerman then hit his fourth 3-pointer of the first half with five seconds left in the inaugural frame to send the Pacers into their locker room with a three-point lead at 35-32.

The Pacers finished the first half shooting 57 percent (13-for-23) as a team. USC Aiken knocked down five of its nine 3-point (56 percent) attempts in the first stanza.

USC Aiken would lead by as many as eight points in the early goings of the second half, but with just under four minutes to play in the contest the two teams were knotted at 59-all.

Antoine Davis then made two free throws for Montevallo with 1:51 left in the contest to place the Falcons ahead by two at 61-59.

USC Aiken's Re'mon Nelson (Columbus, Ohio/Canal Winchester) would hit a teardrop in the paint a little while later to even the game at 61-61 with just 16 seconds left in the contest.

Montevallo's field goal attempt at the end of regulation then fell well short to send the game into overtime.

Behind three consecutive points from Jesse Seilern (Innsbruck, Austria/Kapfenberg) the Pacers opened the overtime period with a three-point 64-61 lead. Rivera would then make a driving lay-up with exactly two minutes left in overtime to place the Falcons behind just one at 64-63.

Two Nelson free throws a little while later for USC Aiken garnered the Pacers a three-point lead once again at 66-63 with 1:24 left in overtime.

Davis would pull the Falcons to within one at 66-65 after he put in a lay-up after picking up a loose ball with 20 seconds remaining in the extra frame.

Clutch free throw shooting by Council over the final seconds would then help USC Aiken secure the six-point win over Montevallo.

In total, USC Aiken outscored Montevallo, 10-4, in the overtime period.

USC Aiken will next close the curtains on its week with a road game against Clayton State at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28.