PEMBROKE, N.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team's comeback bid fell short as the squad dropped a 65-55 contest at nationally ranked UNC Pembroke.

The Pacers are now 7-7 overall and fall to 2-3 against Peach Belt Conference competition. The Braves are now 13-1 overall, including a 4-1 mark against league foes.

Redshirt-junior Dominic Early led everyone with 16 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double performance. He added four steals, a block and an assist. Hendrix Emu came off the bench to hit for 15 points and grab four boards.

Tyreece Brice accounted for eight points while Caleb Stewart chipped in six.

For the game, head coach Vince Alexander's team connected on 18-of-60 shots from the floor (30 percent), including a four-of-16 effort from downtown (25 percent). The squad drilled 15-of-20 free throws (75 percent).

USC Aiken committed 24 miscues while forcing 18. The Braves accounted for 20 points off turnovers while the Pacers were held to 13.  

Trailing 4-2, Early took a pass from Jordan Foster and calmly sank a three-point shot, giving USC Aiken its first lead of the game.

Despite falling behind by as many as five points in the opening stanza, Alexander's team was quick to respond. The squad pulled within two points on multiple occasions. A runner in the lane with 7:00 to play made it a one-point contest at 23-22.

USC Aiken would once again make it a one-point score on two other possessions as Brice hit a three-pointer and Early made a lay-up. Then, with 3:29 to go in the half, Early buried a pair of free throws for a 29-28 lead. However, the Braves rattled off the final four points of the half for a 32-29 lead going into the second stanza.

Brice opened the second half with a deep three-point basket off a pass from Foster, knotting the score at 32, but UNC Pembroke answered with a 13-1 run for a 12-point lead with 14:10 to go in the game.

Alexander's team trimmed the deficit to single digits on multiple occasions, but the squad could not pull any closer than eight the rest of the way.   

The Pacers return to action Saturday when they travel to Flagler for a 3:30 p.m. contest.