DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team lost a 69-56 decision Wednesday evening in its final road game of the season.

The Pacers are now 9-17 overall and 4-13 against conference competition. The Nighthawks are 17-9 and 9-8 against league foes.

Head coach Mike Brandt's team had a trio of student-athletes reach double figures. Kate Duff, Kassy Johannsen and Alexis Ware each netted 11 points in the loss.

Stephanie Ball led the team with five boards and three assists while Duff had a team-high two thefts.

After grabbing a 7-2 lead in the early going behind a lay-up by Jasmine Coach, a three-pointer by Ball and a lay-up by Johannsen, the Pacers saw the home team embark on a 10-0 run over the course of 2:45. A free throw by Kate Duff made it a 12-10 game, but the Nighthawks took a 21-14 advantage into the second quarter.

USC Aiken trailed 30-14 before rattling off five straight points behind the shooting of Duff. Down 34-19, Tiffany Addison sliced through the defense for a lay-up, Mariah Durian nailed a three-pointer off a pass from Carly Gilreath and Duff closed out the scoring in the opening half with a jumper, making it a 34-26 game.

Brandt's team slowly cut into the margin, making it a six-point contest on a lay-up by Ware at the 5:32 mark. Although the home squad pushed the margin back to 12, USC Aiken was relentless in trying to get back into the game. Ball scored five straight points before the teams traded free throws, making it a 50-43 game entering the fourth quarter.

The Nighthawks slowly pulled away in the final stanza, outscoring the visitors 19-13 en route to the win.

For the game, USC Aiken hit 17-of-50 shots from the floor (34 percent), including a three-of-10 effort from downtown (30 percent). The team was solid at the charity stripe, nailing 19-of-22 attempts (86.4 percent).

Brandt's team outscored the home squad 17-11 in terms of bench points. USC Aiken recorded both blocked shots in the game and had the only two points in transition. The squad held a 26-20 margin in the paint over the home team.

The Pacers return to action Saturday for Senior Night/Play 4 Kay. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m. Live stats, video and audio will be available at PacerSports.com.