AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team defeated No. 15 Benedict 68-61 in front of a raucous crowd in the Convocation Center Wednesday evening.

The Pacers improve to 1-2 on the year while the Tigers fall to 0-2.

Jasmine Carter led the victors with a team-best 17 points. She narrowly missed out on a double-double by tallying nine rebounds. Carter dished out a game-high five assists and had a game-best two steals in 34 minutes of action.

Freshman Emily Waters came off the bench to net a career-high 15 points and snag eight boards in 20 minutes of work. Rachelle Aupont canned four three-point shots en route to a 14-point performance. She also grabbed six rebounds.

First-year standout Kwajelin Farrar contributed eight markers in the win.

The Pacers connected on 23-of-64 shots from the floor (35.9 percent). The team drained 10-of-22 attempts from downtown (45.5 percent), including a six-of-10 effort in the second half.

USC Aiken held a 43-37 advantage on the glass. The team pulled down 17 offensive boards and converted them into 13 second-chance points. The Pacers had a 22-14 lead in the paint and converted 19 turnovers into 16 points.

First-year head coach Mark Miller's team trailed by as many as 11 in the first quarter, but the squad closed out the half by holding the visitors to a mere seven points in the second stanza en route to a 28-27 halftime lead.

The Pacers trailed 20-9 with 3:12 to play in the first quarter before Carter hit a jumper and Kate Duff found Jasmine Coach on a break for a 20-13 margin heading into the second period.

Farrar converted a twisting lay-up and Aupont nailed a three-ball with 7:00 to play in the half, making it a 20-18 game. Neither squad scored again until Farrar broke the silence at the 4:57 mark, hitting an inside shot to knot the score. Waters made a lay-up with 3:55 to play in the half for a 22-20 lead.

Aupont buried a three-pointer for a 25-22 advantage, but the visitors rattled off five straight points for a 27-25 lead. With 48 seconds to play in the frame, Carter found Duff for a three-pointer and a one-point edge at the break.

The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair with the squads trading baskets, including those from deep. Waters shot in the paint with just over 5:00 to play in the quarter made it 40-38. Carter found Ware on a break for a 43-38 lead at the 4:51 mark. Holding a 48-46 lead in the waning seconds, Aupont connected on a deep three-pointer for a 51- 46 margin heading into the fourth stanza.

Benedict took a 54-53 lead with 6:47 to play in the game, but a shot from downtown by Gilreath gave USC Aiken an advantage it would not relinquish. The visitors pulled within two at 61-59, but Aupont answered the call with a three-ball at the 1:29 mark for a 64-59 margin. Solid defense the rest of the way limited Benedict's opportunities en route to the seven-point victory.

The Pacers return to action Saturday when they travel to Winston-Salem State at 2 p.m. Live stats will be available at PacerSports.com.