DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team lost a 69-65 decision at North Georgia Wednesday evening in a Peach Belt Conference contest.

The Pacers are now 6-18 overall on the season, including a 4-13 mark against league foes. The Nighthawks are 6-20 overall, including a 4-13 record in conference action.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was paced by Tavares Sledge's game-high 18 points. He also added five boards and dished out a game-best four assists.

Arbry Butler accounted for a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with his three blocked shots. Jevon Patton contributed 13 points and shared game-high honors with four assists and three steals. Hendrix Emu tallied 11 points in the contest.

Trailing 7-5 at the 17:03 mark, Emu took a pass from Sledge and buried a deep three-ball, giving Vanderslice's team an 8-7 advantage. At the 14:58 mark, Sledge converted a pass from Patton for another three-pointer and an 11-7 margin. Sledge scored the next five points via a three-pointer and a pair of free throws for a 16-7 advantage with 11:56 to play.

The Nighthawks regained the lead at 19-18, but USC Aiken answered with a free throw by Sledge and a lay-up from Emu for a 21-19 margin.

From that point forward, it became a back-and-forth affair the rest of the way. Butler twisted past a defender for a lay-up and a 25-23 lead at the 3:55 mark. North Georgia answered with six straight points before Patton cut the deficit to a pair of points at the buzzer.

USC Aiken outscored the home team 10-2 to start the second half. Butler hit a shot in the lane, Sledge canned a three-pointer, Patton hit a lay-up and Emu converted an old-fashioned three-point play for a 37-31 lead.

The Pacers maintained the advantage until a jumper by the home team knotted the game at 45-45 at the 9:54 mark.

Vanderslice's squad embarked on a 13-6 run that spanned 4:31, taking a 58-51 lead on a three-pointer by Albert Miller III.

North Georgia answered, tying the game at 60-60 with 2:28 to play. Sledge's lay-up gave the Pacers a 62-60 lead, but the home team countered with five straight points. Miller III answered with a three-ball from the wing with 1:13 to go, but a turnover by USC Aiken led to a two-point lead for the Nighthawks.

North Georgia pushed it to 68-65 with two seconds to play and Andrew Glover hit a three-pointer as time expired for the final margin.

For the game, USC Aiken connected on 26-of-59 shots from the floor (44.1 percent), including a sizzling 10-of-24 from downtown (41.7 percent).

The Pacers return to action Saturday when they host Francis Marion at 7:30 p.m. Live stats, video and audio will be available at PacerSports.com.