AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team registered a 106-86 victory over Columbus State Saturday afternoon in a Peach Belt Conference contest.

The Pacers improve to 7-4 overall, including a 1-3 mark against conference competition. The Cougars fall to 9-2 overall and 2-2 in league play.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was guided by Jalin Barnes' game-high 31 points. Mark Matthews contributed 29 points and eight rebounds while Henry Bolton III totaled 18 points to go along with a game-best eight assists.

Christian Nobles chipped in eight points and five rebounds while Nenad Milenkovic and Austin Grimes tallied six points apiece.

USC Aiken maintained a lead for virtually the entire game. Trailing 4-3, Nobles took a pass from Matthews and connected on a deep three-ball. Matthews converted an old-fashioned three-point play for a 9-4 edge.

The Cougars pulled within one at 18-17, but Matthews hit a shot from distance as did Milenkovic, quickly pushing it to a 24-17 lead.

Although Columbus State made it a 30-29 contest, Grimes found Matthews for a lay-up. Grimes then found Bolton III for a three-ball. After a stellar defensive stand, the Pacers went up by a 38-29 score thanks in part to a Bolton III three-pointer coming off a pass from Nobles. A shot by Nobles gave USC Aiken a double-digit lead for the first time at 40-29. The Pacers held a 50-42 lead heading into the second half.

After intermission, the Cougars quickly pulled within one, but Vanderslice's team seemed up for the challenge. Matthews netted four straight points.

Columbus State was held at bay by at least five points for the next few minutes of action. Leading 70-65, Milenkovic buried a three-pointer with 11:22 to play. A pair of free throws by Bolton III pushed the margin to 10 at 75-65 with 10:29 to go.

A jumper by the visitors was countered with one by Grimes for a 78-68 lead. Grimes tallied the next two points for a 12-point margin. Leading 80-70, Nobles, Matthews and Bolton III hit consecutive shots to push the score to 86-70 with 6:26 to play.

The visitors pulled within 11 at 88-77, but Barnes and Matthews made back-to-back shots prior to the last media time-out for a 92-77 advantage. After the break in action, the Pacers went on a 14-4 run to put the contest out of reach.

For the game, USC Aiken drained 35-of-63 from the floor (55.6 percent), including 12-of-23 from downtown (52.2 percent). The squad also connected on 24-of-26 from the charity stripe (92.3 percent). Vanderslice's team maintained a 42-34 edge in the paint and 17-7 margin on fast break points.

The 106 points scored were the seventh-most scored in the Division II era for USC Aiken.

The Pacers return to action Monday when they play at North Georgia at 7:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.