DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team recorded an 81-76 victory at North Georgia Sunday evening.

The Pacers are now 5-5 on the year and 1-0 in league play. The Nighthawks are 5-4 overall and 0-1 against PBC schools.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Gus Rowland's team-high 20 points on seven-of-13 shooting. He also dished out four assists and added a pair of steals. Dhieu Deing contributed 19 points on seven-of-eight shooting while Faison Brock chipped in 15 points, six boards and five assists.

Damontez Oliver notched 11 points while Shaquan Jules totaled eight. Robert Hill added six in the win.

Trailing 14-12, Brock hit a lay-up at the 13:20 mark. Rowland and Brock buried back-to-back shots from downtown, giving the visitors a 20-14 lead. A shot from distance by Oliver propelled the Pacers to a 27-20 advantage with 8:04 to go in the half. Leading 44-35 after a pair of charity tosses from Brock, the Nighthawks embarked on a 9-0 spurt, knotting the contest at the break.

Down 48-44 early in the second stanza, Rowland found Oliver for a lay-up. After a rebound by Deing, Oliver tied the contest on another inside bucket with 16:57 to play. Deing hit a shot, Rowland nailed a three-pointer and Deing converted a shot from downtown for a 56-48 lead.

Hill's lay-up at the 8:11 mark pushed the advantage to 13 with the score at 72-59. Kyle Tackeberry extended the margin to 15 after a steal 13 seconds later.

UNG pulled within four with 1:37 to go, but Rowland converted a lay-up for a six-point edge. He converted the free throw for an old-fashioned three-point play. Up by four with 10 seconds to go, Oliver was fouled. He calmly made one for the five-point win.

For the game, USC Aiken buried 31-of-48 from the floor (64.6 percent), including 10-of-21 from downtown (47.6 percent). The squad held a 21-18 edge on the defensive glass. Vanderslice's team forced 17 turnovers and turned the miscues into 22 points.

The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they host Columbus State at 7:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.