YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team lost a 69-61 decision at Young Harris Saturday afternoon in the Peach Belt Conference opener.

The Pacers are now 4-5 on the year, including an 0-1 mark in league play. The Mountain Lions are 5-3 overall an 1-0 against conference competition.

Emry Tsitouris and Alexis Ware contributed 10 points apiece while Kate Duff notched nine markers.

Carly Gilreath tallied eight points to go along with eight assists while Kwajelin Farrar accounted for six points and nine boards.

Head coach Mark Miller's team started off strong, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. Jasmine Coach hit a shot in the paint for the opening bucket just 21 seconds into the contest. A lay-up by Farrar off a pass from Coach two minutes later pushed the score to 4-0. Gilreath's three-ball at the 7:01 mark made it a 7-2 score. Her second shot from downtown extended the lead to six at the 6:04 mark.

The Pacers held an 18-14 advantage when Tsitouris buried a shot off a pass from Gilreath with 2:44 to play in the opening period. However, the team was held scoreless the rest of the stanza and the home team tallied five points during the stretch for a 19-18 lead.

After trailing 29-22, Ware hit a pair of foul shots to make it a 29-24 game. Coach nailed a jumper before Duff connected on both charity tosses, making it a one-point contest with 1:52 to play prior to halftime.

USC Aiken trailed by four early in the third quarter, but a layup from Melyk Taouil and a free throw from Sade Johsnon pulled the visitors within one, 32-31. Duff's shot propelled the Pacers into the lead, 33-32, with 7:59 to go. Tied at 37-37, Ware unleashed a shot from distance and promptly connected for the three-point edge. Emily Waters scored a pair of free throws to make it a 42-37 game.

Miller's team held a 43-38 margin with 3:34 to play, but the home squad embarked on a 9-0 run for a four-point advantage. Taouil helped the visitors close the gap to a mere point heading into the fourth.

Gilreath found Duff for a three-pointer at the 6:04 mark for a 53-52 lead, but just 25 seconds later YHC took the lead for good.

For the game, Miller's team held a 12-11 advantage in points off turnovers. The squad maintained a 38-17 margin in bench points. The team hit 20-of-60 from the floor (33.3 percent), including a six-of-21 effort from downtown (28.6 percent).

The Pacers return to action Monday when they travel to Clayton State for a 5:30 p.m., tip. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.