AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team registered an 83-62 win over Columbus State Monday evening in a Peach Belt Conference match-up.

The Pacers are now 13-9 and 10-8 in conference play.  The Cougars drop to 6-15 and 6-12 against league opponents.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Doniel Dean's team-best 22 points while shooting 9-of-15 from the field. Markus Terry added 18 points while Robert Hill added a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. He also added six blocks. Henry Bolton III contributed nine markers in 16 minutes of play.

The Pacers and the Cougars were evenly matched early into the first half with the score knotted up at 11-11 after six minutes of play. From that point, Vanderslice's team went to work. At the 12:58 mark, Faison Brock buried a three-pointer off a pass from Kyle Tackeberry. With 9:02 left in the first period, Dean converted a lay-up with an assist from Terry. Leading 32-20, Terry added two points via lay-up with 3:12 remaining as the home team maintained a 36-29 advantage at the break.

In the second half, the Pacers continued their strong play. With 16:30 remaining, Bolton III drilled a three-pointer. At the 13:54 mark, Austin Grimes added a three-point bucket, off a pass from Terry, giving the Pacers a 57-38 advantage. With 4:09 remaining in the game, Hill pounded home a resounding dunk, giving him 14 points.

For the game, USC Aiken converted 33-64 from the field (51 percent), including 10-26 from downtown (38 percent). The squad hit 7-9 from the charity stripe (77 percent).

The Pacers return to action Wednesday night as they travel to UNC Pembroke for a 7:30 start. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.

Photo Gallery