AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team lost a 73-63 decision to Georgia College in the Peach Belt Conference opener for both teams.

The Pacers are now 5-5 on the season while the Bobcats stand at 7-3.

USC Aiken was guided by Dominic Early's team-high 15 points and game-best 12 rebounds for a double-double in 32 minutes of action. Caleb Stewart connected for 11 markers while André Anthony hit for eight.

David Belfield, Jordan Foster, Rashad Lewis and Albert Miller III all tallied five points in the game.

USC Aiken hit just 16-of-58 shots from the floor (27.6 percent) in the game, including a five-of-29 effort (17.2 percent) from behind the three-point stripe. Head coach Vince Alexander's team performed well at the charity stripe, netting 26-of-34 attempts (76.5 percent).

The Pacers were out-rebounded 43-39, but maintained a 15-13 edge on the offensive glass. USC Aiken converted the offensive boards into 15 second-chance points while limiting the visitors to just 10.

Alexander's squad jumped out to a 7-3 advantage. After trailing 3-2, Stewart buried a deep three-point basket off a pass from Lewis. Arbry Butler's lay-up at the 15:05 mark pushed the advantage to four. However, it was USC Aiken's largest lead of the night.

The Bobcats took an 8-7 lead, but Grant Harris converted a pair of charity tosses after a time-out for the one-point edge at the 11:57 mark. The squads exchanged leads again, but Georgia College went on an 8-0 run for a seven-point spread at the 7:40 mark.

Jordan Foster trimmed the deficit to four on a three-point shot and Belfield hit a free throw on the next possession, making it an 18-15 game. The Pacers pulled within one on a pair of occasions, but trailed 31-28 at the intermission.

The visitors jumped out to a 37-28 lead at the start of the second half before Hendrix Emu hit a jumper and converted a free throw on the next possession. Although the Bobcats pushed the margin to double figures, USC Aiken always countered, making it a single-digit deficit.

Trailing 61-53, Alexander's team cut the margin to four at 63-59 after Stewart made back-to-back lay-ups, but the Bobcats extended the lead to 10 at 72-62 with just 33 seconds remaining.

The Pacers return to action Saturday at 3:30 p.m., when they play host to Columbus State.