AUGUSTA, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team had five student-athletes in double figures in the 90-78 road victory at Augusta Monday evening in a Peach Belt Conference contest.
The Pacers are now 13-9 overall and 9-4 in league play. The Jaguars fall to 10-8 on the year and 5-7 against conference competition.
Head coach
Mark Miller's team was paced by
Rachelle Aupont's 19 points.
Carly Gilreath added 17 points, six assists and four rebounds.
Kate Duff accounted for 16 markers on seven-of-nine shooting from the floor.
Kwajelin Farrar notched 14 points and six boards while
Emily Waters hit double figures with 10 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists.
Jasmine Coach netted five points, but snagged a game-high 10 rebounds while
Melyk Taouil dished out a career-high eight assists.
In the opening period,
Jasmine Coach's jumper off the pass from Taouil extended USC Aiken's lead to seven at 13-6. However, AU continued to slice into the score. The home team took a 19-17 lead, but Duff's lay-up tied the contest with 1:43 to play.
Trailing 22-19,
Alexis Ware found Gilreath for a deep three-point bucket, knotting the score with 32 ticks on the clock. The Jags hit a three-pointer as time expired in the period for a 25-22 margin.
AU managed to take a 39-27 lead with 6:33 to play in the half, but Miller's team would battle back. A jumper from
Kwajelin Farrar sliced the deficit to six at 42-36, with 2:45 to go. Moments later, USC Aiken cut the deficit to five when
Rachelle Aupont canned a three-point basket off the assist from Gilreath.
The home team made a basket, but the Pacers made it a 46-42 contest heading into halftime when Duff buried a shot from downtown off the pass from Coach.
Trailing 48-44 early in the third quarter, Coach found Gilreath in rhythm for a three-point basket, making it a one-point game. After a solid defensive stand,
Sade Johnson took a pass from Taouil for the lay-up.
Tied at 49-49, Aupont connected with her fellow senior Gilreath for another shot from distance. The Pacers extended their lead to four at 55-51 when Aupont was the recipient of a Gilreath pass. Aupont calmly took the ball and found the bottom of the net for the advantage.
USC Aiken pushed the margin to seven when Farrar hit a jumper for a 60-53 lead with 2:50 to play in the stanza. The teams traded baskets most of the rest of the quarter, but the visitors took a 63-58 advantage into the final period of play.
The home team made it close midway through the fourth quarter, but an Aupont three-ball pushed the margin to seven at 75-68. USC Aiken connected on its foul shots down the stretch en route to the 12-point victory.
The Pacers return to action Saturday when they play at Francis Marion at 1:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.
