AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team dominated Lees-McRae in the second half en route to a 79-60 victory.

The Pacers are now 2-0 on the young season.

Christian Nobles posted a game-high 18 points on five-of-11 shooting from the floor. He also canned eight charity tosses. Nobles tied for game-high accolades with three steals.

Henry Bolton III posted 13 points on five-of-seven shooting, including a three-of-four effort from deep. Jalin Barnes connected for 12 points and four rebounds in his debut while Mark Matthews tallied 10 points, six boards and six assists.

Raheem Freeman and Nenad Milenkovic each contributed nine points in the victory.

For the game, head coach Mark Vanderslice's team shot just under 50 percent, hitting 25-of-52 from the floor (48.1 percent), including a 10-of-24 effort from deep (41.7 percent).

The Pacers accounted for 14 points off turnovers and led the visitors with 17 second-chance points compared to 12 by the Bobcats. USC Aiken's bench outscored LMC 35-22 and the home team held a slim 30-24 edge in points in the paint.

Vanderslice's squad trailed 21-14 at the 10:37 mark of the first half and eventually fell behind by nine before Minlenkovic buried a pair of three-point shots to pull the home team within three, 26-23.

With 3:17 to play in the half, Nobles canned a runner in the lane for a 29-28 advantage. Milenkovic hit another three-point shot before Freeman nailed a three-ball off a pass from Matthews for a 35-28 lead. USC Aiken maintained a three-point edge at the break.

After LMC pulled within one, Matthews and Bolton made back-to-back shots for a 40-34 advantage. The Bobcats made it a five-point game at 50-45, but Nobles made a jumper in the lane before Barnes drilled a three-ball. Nobles connected on another shot inside for a 12-point margin with 10:57 to play.

Paris Ballinger reeled off five straight points for a 62-45 lead. The Pacers pushed the margin to 21 after a pair of free throws by Matthews with 4:33 to go en route to the 19-point victory.

The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they host Paine at 6 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.