SAINT LEO, Fla. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball lost an 84-80 decision at St. Leo Saturday evening in a non-conference affair.

The Pacers are now 5-2 on the young season.

Leading the way for USC Aiken was Jesse Seilern, who accounted for a team-best 16 points before fouling out. DeVontae Wright added 15 markers to go along with five assists while Ronald Zimmerman hit six field goals for 14 points.

Paul Larsen added nine points to go along with seven rebounds. Shane Porchea also had nine while Santoine Butler totaled seven points and seven rebounds in the contest.

The Pacers connected on 44.6 percent of their shots from the floor, including a 10-of-19 effort (52.6 percent) from behind the three-point line. However, the squad hit just 20-of-35 foul shots (57.1 percent).

Head coach Vince Alexander's team forced 19 turnovers compared to committing just 15. The squad recorded nine steals while St. Leo totaled five. However, the team was outscored in the paint 28-16.

USC Aiken build an early four-point lead with 13:55 to play in the opening half, but it marked the largest advantage the team would have the entire game.

Trailing 13-12, Zimmerman canned a contested jumper for a 14-13 lead. Derrick Scott then buried a three-ball off a pass from Porchea for a 17-13 edge. The Pacers pushed it back to four on a jumper by Wright with 13:31 to go.

Alexander's team fell behind by as many as three points on a few occasions, but fought back to take a 33-31 lead on a three-point shot by Zimmerman with 5:17 to play before intermission.

A late foul on Porchea allowed the home squad to hit two free throws just before intermission, taking a 39-38 lead into the second half.

USC Aiken found itself trailing by 12 with 12:48 to play, but the team battled back. With the score at 71-61, Wright hit a jumper at the 8:42 mark. St. Leo hit a free throw, but a charity toss by Porchea and a lay-up on the next possession made it a 72-66 contest with 7:02 on the clock.

After a jumper by the home team, Porchea hit two free throws to make it 74-68. Wright hit a foul shot with 4:50 to play. Then, Larsen hit a pair and Wright canned a jumper to make it a 74-73 game with 3:57 to play.

The Pacers finally took the lead at 77-76 when Seilern made two foul shots at the 2:09 mark. However, USC Aiken was unable to hit another field goal until seven seconds left in the contest.  

Head coach Vince Alexander's team returns to action Monday, Dec. 2 when the team travels to Tuskegee for a 7 p.m. start.