PENSACOLA, Fla. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team lost a 79-64 decision to No. 20 Central Missouri Friday afternoon in the first game of the West Florida Thanksgiving Invitational.

The Pacers are now 2-3 on the season.

Mariah Durian led head coach Mike Brandt's team with 16 points in 30 minutes of action. Emry Tsitouris came off the bench to account for her third straight double-double with 14 points and a game-best 10 boards. Tsitouris did so in just 20 minutes.

Kassy Johannsen notched nine points and seven rebounds while Stephanie Ball registered six points and three thefts.

USC Aiken found itself trailing 4-0 just 54 seconds into the game, but the squad pulled even as Tsitouris accounted for four of the team's first six points, including a pair of charity tosses that tied the contest at 6-6 at the 15:52 mark.

Trailing 25-21, Amaura Brandt hit a three-point bucket at the 8:16 mark. After a steal by Ball, she found Durian for a three-pointer for what turned out to be the Pacers' only lead of the game.

Central Missouri took a 29-27 lead, but Kate Duff took a pass from Mackenzie Reese for an easy basket, knotting the score at 29-29 with just 3:42 left to play in the first half. However, the designated home team went on a 10-0 run before the break, but Reese's jumper off a pass from Tiffany Addison trimmed the deficit to eight just before the break.

Ball's three-point shot at the 16:22 mark cut the score to 41-36, but it was as close as the Pacers would get the rest of the way.

For the game, USC Aiken netted 20-of-56 shots from the floor (35.7 percent), including six-of-23 from downtown (26.1 percent). The team accounted for 18 points at the charity stripe (18-of-24; 75 percent). Brandt's team out-rebounded the opposition 39-31, including a 15-6 mark on the offensive glass.

The Pacers had a 32-25 edge in bench points, but the difference was in the paint. There, Central Missouri outscored USC Aiken 36-22.

The Pacers return to action tomorrow on the final day of the West Florida Invitational.