ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The No. 9 University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team used a 9-0 run over the final 1:29 to pick up a 71-60 road win at Flagler Wednesday evening in a Peach Belt Conference contest.

The Pacers are now 18-2 overall, including a 10-0 effort against league foes. The victory extends USC Aiken's winning streak to 13 games.

Paul Larsen's steal, lay-up and free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play with 1:20 to play gave the Pacers a 65-60 advantage. After Jesse Seilern's steal, DeVontae Wright was fouled and easily converted both free throws, pushing the margin to seven at 67-60.

Seilern then corralled a rebound and lobbed a pass to Alvin Brown for a dunk with 36 seconds to play before Ronald Zimmerman pulled down a missed Flagler shot, found Seilern, who quickly found Brown for another dunk and the final points of the contest.

USC Aiken trailed in the early going by as many as five points in the first half. However, Derrick Scott drove the lane for a basket with 2:49 to go in the first period, slicing the deficit to just three. Hendrix Emu converted an old-fashioned three-point play, knotting the contest at 34.

Scott hit a free throw and Zimmerman buried a jumper in the final 19 seconds, sending the Pacers into the break with a 37-35 advantage.

It looked as if USC Aiken would open a wide lead at the start of the second half as the squad raced to an 8-2 advantage for a 43-37 lead. However, the home team fought back, tying the contest at 58 with 6:52 to play.

Brown's lay-up gave the Pacers the lead for good at the 5:39 mark. Larsen hit a lay-up with 3:15 to play, but the Saints pulled within two with 3:03 to go.

From that point on, USC Aiken's defense stepped up as the squad reeled off the final nine points of the game for the final margin.  

Wright scored a team-high 18 points on six-of-10 shooting in the win. Zimmerman added 14 points, including 12 from behind the three-point stripe. Larsen chipped in 13 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Brown narrowly missed out on a double-double performance with eight points and eight boards. Seilern scored just two points but dished out six assists and snagged five rebounds.

Santoine Butler came off the bench to pull down eight boards Ten of the 11 student-athletes that played for head coach Vince Alexander recorded at least two points.

The Pacers connected on 28-of-64 shots from the floor (43.8 percent) while the Saints canned 39.6 percent. USC Aiken out-rebounded the home squad 48-29, including a 15-3 margin on the offensive glass.

USC Aiken registered 16 assists and held a 10-2 advantage in fast break points. Additionally, the team controlled the paint, outscoring Flagler 36-20 and maintained a 16-4 lead in second chance points.

The Pacers return to action Saturday when they host GRU Augusta at 7:30 p.m.