MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team, ranked No. 22 in the latest national poll, cruised past No. 13 Montevallo by a 78-63 score Saturday afternoon.

The Pacers improve to 12-2 overall, including a perfect 4-0 against conference competition.

Paul Larsen led the charge with a team-high 22 points in addition to snagging a game-best 14 rebounds. Larsen connected on nine-of-10 from the field and had seven offensive boards. For good measure, he recorded two steals.

Ronald Zimmerman drained four three-point field goals en route to a 19-point performance while Shane Porchea (11 points) and DeVontae Wright (10 points) each reached double figures.

Alvin Brown chipped in eight markers to go along with a game-high four blocks.

USC Aiken drained 27-of-58 from the field (46.6 percent), including a seven-of-14 effort from downtown (50 percent). The Pacers held the Falcons to 34 percent shooting from the court and frustrated the home squad into a zero-of-eight effort from behind the three-point stripe.

Head coach Vince Alexander's team maintained a 14-7 edge in assists and had eight steals to six by Montevallo.

Brown got things going with the first basket of the contest just 33 seconds into the game. Larsen netted a lay-up for a 4-0 lead and the squad never looked back. Larsen converted an old-fashioned three-point play off an assist from Jesse Seilern for a 7-2 advantage.

Leading 14-8, Wright netted five straight points and Santoine Butler got into the act with a deep three-point shot off a pass from Porchea for a 22-8 margin. Alexander's team maintained a 33-26 halftime advantage.

USC Aiken embarked on a 10-0 run to start the second period, covering the first 3:46. Larsen hit a twisting lay-up before Brown chipped in a free throw. Zimmerman canned a deep three and Larsen hit two inside shots for a 43-26 edge.

The Pacers pushed the lead to 21 after two Larsen charity tosses at the 11:52 mark and led by as many as 24 with 10:26 to go.

The Falcons tried to trim the deficit, but USC Aiken continued applying pressure. With the score 63-44, Alexander's team registered back-to-back offensive rebounds before Seilern nailed a three-point shot from the wing, pushing the score to 66-44 with 6:23 to play.   

The Pacers return to action Wednesday at Clayton State. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.