COLUMBUS, Ga. - The nationally 25th-ranked University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team knocked off the host Columbus State University Cougars, 82-72, in quarterfinal action at the 2013 Peach Belt Conference Championships at the Lumpkin Center on Thursday evening.

The second-seeded East Division Pacers (21-6) advance to face top-ranked and unbeaten Clayton State University - 76-44 winners over Armstrong Atlantic State University in quarterfinal action - in the second PBC Tournament semifinal matchup at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 9.

USC Aiken is the defending tournament champions and have defeated Clayton State in each of the last two tournaments - a 73-72 overtime semifinal win in 2011 and a 52-47 win in the championship game last season. Columbus State, the third seed out of the West Division, sees its season come to a close at 16-11.

The Pacers jumped out to a 21-10 lead in the first eight minutes of the contest as a Mia Antoine (Stone Mountain, Ga./Dominion Christian HS) 3-pointer capped the opening run to the game. Columbus State cut the lead to three, 25-22, on a Candice Edmundson bucket with 9:21 left to go in the half, but the Pacers' Brittany Hill (Mechanicsville, Va./Quinnipiac) answered with a 3-pointer and USC Aiken was able to stretch the lead back to nine, 37-28, on a Daniela Tarailo (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point HS) layup with 4:31 left to go in the half.

USC Aiken would carry an eight-point advantage into the break, leading 41-33. The Pacers hit 50 percent (18-of-36) from the floor in the first half, including 5-of-8 three-pointers (62.5 percent). Columbus State hit 14-of-37 shots (37.8 percent) from the floor in the first half, but was 0-for-7 from 3-point range.

In the second half, Columbus State cut the lead to three on a Kayla Richards 3-pointer two minutes in, making it 43-40, but Hill drained two 3-pointers in a 10-1 run over the next five minutes that stretched the lead to 12, 53-41, with 13:19 left. 

A Tarailo 3-pointer with 3:41 left made the lead 72-59 with 3:41, but the Cougars got two free throws from Kiersten Reid, a steal and a 3-pointer by Shan Basley to cut the lead to eight, 72-64, but that would be as close as the Cougars would get down the stretch.

The Pacers placed five players in double figures on the evening, led by Antoine's career-best 17 points. Martin and Hill each notched 16 points each, while Tarailo collected 12 points and Mackenzie Reese (Madison, Wis./Edgewood HS) added 11 points off the bench.

The Peach Belt Conference Elite 15 Award Winner, Antoine, who 6-for-8 from the floor in the game, also had six rebounds, four assists and one steal in the contest.

A Second-Team All-Peach Belt Conference selection, Hill also dished out six assists to go along with her four rebounds. Martin led the Pacers in the contest with eight boards. She also had three assists.

Reese claimed four rebounds, one assist and one block in the game, while Tarailo ended her first game since being tabbed First-Team All-Peach Belt Conference with five rebounds and three assists to go along with her 12 points.

Columbus State was led by 15 points from Bradford and 15 points from Alexander.

USC Aiken finished the game shooting 48.4 percent 31-of-64) from the field, including 50 percent (8-of-16) from 3-point range and a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line.

Columbus State shot just 34.4 percent (21-of-61) from the floor and only 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from 3-point range, while hitting 87.1 percent (27-of-31) from the free throw line.