FLORENCE, S.C. – The No. 5 University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team lost a hard-fought 99-92 game at Francis Marion Wednesday evening.

The Pacers are now 12-1 on the season and 6-1 in the PBC. The Patriots are 8-2 overall and 4-1 in league action.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Faison Brock's team-best 24 points. He also snagged 11 rebounds for a double-double. Xzavier Barmore tallied 21 points and five assists. Ty'lik Evans accounted for 18 points while Doniel Dean added 13.  

Trailing 5-1 in the early going, Evans hit a lay-up. Barmore took a pass from Brock and found the bottom of the net, tying it at 5-5. Evans connected on a free throw before Dean and Brock hit inside shots for a 10-5 edge at the 15:49 mark. USC Aiken pushed the advantage to six at 20-14 on a lay-up from Shaquan Jules, but the Patriots went on a 16-0 run to take the lead. With multiple starters on the bench in foul trouble for much of the first half, the Pacers trailed 46-34 at the break.

Vanderslice's team trailed 60-51 at the 12:56 mark and quickly cut into the deficit. Barmore connected on a lay-up. After a steal by Evans, he found Brock for a three-ball. After a foul by the home team, Brock hit a pair of charity tosses to make it 60-58 with 11:42 to play. Twenty-nine seconds later, Barmore found Myles Washington for a three-ball, knotting the contest at 61-61.  

The Patriots quickly countered and maintained a six-point edge with 6:58 to go. USC Aiken fell behind 84-75, but Brock's three-ball sliced into the deficit. Dean hit a lay-up and found Brock moments later for another shot from downtown, making it a one-point game at 84-83. After a basket by FMU, Barmore knotted the contest at 86-86 with 1:37 to play. However, USC Aiken was unable to take the lead and the home team hit its free throws down the stretch to hold onto the win.   

For the game, USC Aiken hit 32-of-67 from the floor (47.8 percent). The team buried 11-of-28 from the three-point stripe (39.3 percent) and hit 17-of-27 from the charity stripe (63.0 percent). Vanderslice's squad tallied eight steals compared to five for the home team.

The Pacers totaled 14 points off the bench compared to 11 by the Patriots. USC Aiken dominated the paint, 42-16 and held a 36-23 edge in fast break points.

The Pacers return to action Saturday when they play at North Georgia at 3:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.