MORROW, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team lost a 93-89 overtime decision at Clayton State Monday evening in a Peach Belt Conference contest.

The Pacers fall to 6-3 on the year and 0-2 against conference competition. The Lakers improve to 6-5 overall and 1-1 in league play.

Henry Bolton III led USC Aiken with 22 points. He also dished out eight assists and six rebounds. Jalin Barnes contributed 15 points before fouling out.

Christian Nobles added 13 markers while Nenad Milenkovic chipped in 10. Mark Matthews accounted for nine points and five rebounds in the contest.

Kevin Chuisseu and Robert Hill contributed four points and two blocks apiece.

For the game, USC Aiken hit 29-of-72 shots from the floor (40.3 percent), including 10-of-26 from downtown (38.5 percent). The squad connected on 21-of-27 shots from the charity stripe (77.8 percent).

In the opening stanza, Clayton State jumped out to a 14-9 lead, but head coach Mark Vanderslice's team slowly evened the contest. Trailing 20-16, Bolton III nailed a three-pointer off a pass from Matthews. After a defensive stand, Bolton III buried a jumper to give USC Aiken a one-point edge.

It was a back-and-forth affair from that point on until intermission. After the Lakers went up by a 25-21 count, Bolton III countered with a three-ball. Raheem Freeman found the bottom of the net on another shot from downtown for a 27-25 lead.

Nobles connected on a lay-up with under a minute left and the Pacers maintained a 39-38 lead heading into the second period.

At the start of the final 20 minutes of action, Clayton State took a 52-44 margin with just under 16 minutes to play. However, Vanderslice's team would not give up.

Robert Hill's dunk off a pass from Faison Brock at the 13:27 mark made it 57-51. Nobles drove the lane and was fouled on the team's next possession and he calmly connected on both charity tosses.

The Lakers extended their lead to six, 59-53, but Milenkovic buried a three pointer. He countered Clayton State's two points with a lay-up, pulling the team within three at 61-58.

Nobles hit a free throw and Milenkovic twisted for a shot in the paint, knotting the contest at 61-61.

Although the Lakers regained the advantage at 65-61, Milenkovic hit a three-ball and Brock buried a pair of charity tosses for a 66-65 margin. The teams traded points the rest of the way, but the home squad held a 79-77 lead until Bolton III buried a jumper, knotting the score with 63 seconds to play.  

Both teams had opportunities in the closing seconds, but the score remained deadlocked at 79-79, forcing overtime.

In the extra session, Nobles gave the Pacers an 81-79 lead 18 seconds in. At the 4:19 mark, Bolton III found Matthews for a lay-up and a four-point margin. The Lakers rattled off 11 straight points before USC Aiken could score again.

Trailing 90-83, Bolton III hit a three-ball. After a pair of free throws that made it 92-86, Nobles took a pass from Milenkovic and buried a three-pointer, cutting the deficit to three at 92-89.

Clayton State hit a free throw with 14 seconds to play and Paris Ballinger missed a jumper on the ensuing possession. Clayton State managed to hold on for the four-point victory.

The Pacers have a break for the holidays before returning to action Jan. 4 for a rare Education Day game against Georgia College. Tip-off is slated for 12:30 p.m., in the Convocation Center. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.