AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team picked up a Peach Belt Conference victory, defeating Armstrong State by a score of 87-71 Saturday evening.

The Pacers are now 6-6 on the season and improve to 1-2 against league competition.

USC Aiken was led by Dominic Early's game-high 19 points. He led five student-athletes in double figures as André Anthony added 13 while Hendrix Emu, Albert Miller III and Caleb Stewart all went for 11 markers.

Tyreece Brice chipped in nine points while Grant Harris totaled seven points, eight rebounds and four assists. Stewart also accounted for eight boards in the win.

Head coach Vince Alexander's team fell behind 7-3, but embarked on a 21-2 run that spanned nearly eight minutes of action. During the run, Brice hit a pair of free throws and Anthony buried a three-pointer, pulling the team within one at 9-8. After a time-out, Early canned a jumper and Hendrix Emu converted an old-fashioned three-point play for a 13-9 lead.

Albert Miller III managed to get open and took a pass from Anthony before quickly netting a three-pointer. Arbry Butler sliced threw the defense for a lay-up just before Miller and Caleb Stewart took turns hitting inside shots. Stewart's lay-up off a pass from Butler completed the big run for the home squad.

The Pacers pushed the lead to 18 when Grant Harris drained a 19-foot jumper, making the score 32-14 at the 5:33 mark. USC Aiken crusied to a 40-26 lead heading into the second half.

USC Aiken extended the lead to 20 just 1:05 into the second half when Jordan Foster sliced past the defense and hit a jumper in the lane. The Pirates closed the margin to 11 with 14:36 to play, but Alexander's squad embarked on a 8-2 run, making it a 62-43 contest with just 11:53 to play.

Another brief spurt by the home squad gave the Pacers their largest lead of the night at 69-47 with just 8:29 to go, but Armstrong State slowly whittled away the lead until it stood at just eight. However, USC Aiken managed to connect on its foul shots down the stretch for the 16-point victory.

For the game, USC Aiken connected on 24-of-54 shots from the floor (44.4 percent) while limiting the Pirates to 35.8 percent. The difference in the contest came at the charity stripe. As Alexander's team continued to attack the basket, the team managed to get to the foul line 44 times, connecting on 34 attempts (77.3 percent).

USC Aiken forced 17 turnovers, converting them into 22 points. With the solid all-around team effort, the home team held a 40-25 advantage in terms of points off the bench.

 The Pacers return to action Monday when they host Flagler at 7:30 p.m.