Coming into the 2015-16 basketball season, first-year head coach Mark Vanderslice faced several challenges. However, his team persevered, put forth outstanding effort and laid the foundation for the upcoming season.

With the departure of former head coach Vince Alexander, Vanderslice was brought in mid-summer. He quickly hired assistant coach Jakob Gollon and worked relentlessly in order to add a couple more student-athletes before school started.

After installing his offense, the Pacers were informed that Tavares Sledge would not be eligible to be on the court until the second semester. Forced to adjust the system completely by losing a key cog late in the preseason meant some players carrying a larger burden in a new system.

Despite the challenges the team faced, the squad put forth its best effort during the season.

After dropping their first two games of the year, both of which were away from home, Vanderslice's team put together an outstanding showing in the home opener.

In the 97-84 win over the Lions, senior Keith Belfield netted a career-high 31 points to lead all scorers. Newcomer Jevon Patton registered 25 points and a game-high seven assists. Arbry Butler notched a double-double with 12 points and a game-best 10 rebounds to go along with a game-high three blocks. Four scored in double figures for the Pacers as Jordan Foster tallied 14 points.

The squad buried 65.4 percent of its shots from the floor, including a 10-of-22 effort from behind the three-point stripe. USC Aiken's 65.4 percent shoot marked the fourth best in school history.

On Nov. 21, the Pacers' game against Carson-Newman was moved up due to the volleyball team hosting the Peach Belt Conference Championship match. This forced the game to be played at 11 a.m., instead of later in the day. However, Belfield thrived with 28 points, including 18 from downtown. Patton tallied 24 points, but the squad came up just short against the Eagles.

USC Aiken pushed NCAA Tournament foe Florida Southern to the brink before falling in overtime. Vanderslice's team was solid from the floor, canning 42.4 percent of its shots while placing five players in double figures. Leading the way was Butler with 21 points and a game-best 15 rebounds.

In its last home date of 2015, the Pacers took on Piedmont International and cruised to a 90-64 victory. The win was highlighted by Gavin Stephenson's double-double performance of 13 points and 12 rebounds. Albert Miller III came off the bench to net 13 points on six-of-eight shooting.  

USC Aiken was forced to play five straight road games, including four of which were league contests, before returning home.

After dropping a hard-fought game to UNC Pembroke on Jan. 6, USC Aiken avenged its two-point loss to Flagler on the road with a 16-point victory in the Convocation Center. The squad overcame a four-point halftime deficit en route to a 72-66 victory. The biggest difference came at the charity stripe as the Pacers canned 10 more than the visitors.

The win over the Braves marked the teams last until the Jan. 30 contest against Young Harris. Against the then-league leading Mountain Lions, USC Aiken displayed great teamwork. Sledge poured in a game-high 28 points to go along with 14 rebounds while Butler accounted for 26 points and 14 boards. Belfield netted 19 points while Hendrix Emu was solid in all facets of the game, totaling nine points, seven rebounds and three blocks. The Pacers connected on 51.8 percent of their shots from the floor and netted 24-of-32 free throws in the 90-81 victory.

The victory sparked a three-game winning streak for the squad. USC Aiken was able to exact an 85-76 road win at UNC Pembroke. The Pacers were led by Sledge's 22 points and 10 rebounds. Butler totaled 16 points and 10 boards while Patton and Belfield contributed 19 and 13 points, respectively.

The Pacers hosted PBC East leading Lander for homecoming and turned in one of the most impressive performances of the year. The team drained 53.1 percent of its shots from the floor, including an eight-of-18 effort from downtown (44.4 percent). USC Aiken dished out 19 assists on the 26 field goals and swatted away nine shots in the contest.

Although the team lost the last five games of the year, the team put together a sensational effort against Augusta in the season finale. Squaring off against the Jaguars, the Pacers overcame a halftime deficit and tied the contest at 78-78 on Emu's putback at the buzzer to force overtime.

Sledge led everyone with 24 points while Patton added 23. Belfield and Butler notched 15 points apiece while Emu narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and nine boards.

After USC Aiken's season was over, Butler was a third-team all-conference selection.

The team finished 6-20, but dropped 12 games by single digits, including three in overtime. It was not the record Vanderslice and his team desired, but the way the team continued to push forward throughout injuries and setbacks shows that USC Aiken will be a force to be reckoned with in 2016-17.