FLORENCE, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team overcame a second-half deficit en route to a 70-66 win at Francis Marion Wednesday.

The Pacers are now 4-2 on the season and 3-1 in PBC play. The Patriots fall to 2-3 overall and 2-3 in league competition.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Anyeuri Castillo's 16 points. Latreavin Black totaled 14 points and 13 rebounds while Jakobi Pearson also notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. Gus Rowland tallied 13 points and six assists while Tyler Johnson accounted for 11 markers.   

USC Aiken opened the game as Tehree Horn drilled a three-point bucket 46 seconds in. Trailing 6-3, Black hit back-to-back lay-ups for a one-point edge at the 15:46 mark. FMU quickly took the lead and built a nine-point edge at 27-18 with 5:05 to play in the half. A three-point ball from Castillo off a pass from Gus Rowland sliced the margin to five at 28-23. Rowland's field goal with 2:37 to play made it 31-27 but it was as close as the squad would get in the half. Vanderslice's team trailed 36-29 at the break.

Vanderslice's squad battled throughout the second half, slowly pulling closer and closer to the Patriots. With 5:10 to play, Rowland snagged an offensive rebound and laid the ball in, giving the visitors a 60-59 edge. After a Pearson rebound, Rowland drained a jumper at the 3:44 mark, extending the advantage to three at 62-59. That capped a 6-0 spurt by USC Aiken. Black found Pearson to start the run.

Leading 62-61, Black hit a free throw. With 1:13 to go, Black recorded a steal and found Rowland for a 23-foot three-point shot. With the score at 66-63, Pearson hit a pair of charity tosses for a five-point edge.

FMU hit a three-point shot from the corner with nine ticks on the clock, making it a two-point contest. After a pair of missed free throws, USC Aiken snagged the offensive board. The Pacers snagged a defensive board with under a second to go and Rowland hit two free throws for the final four-point score.

For the game, USC Aiken hit 28-of-67 from the floor (41.8 percent). The squad pulled down 45 rebounds compared to 37 by the home team. Vanderslice's squad dished out 18 assists on 28 buckets. The defense forced 20 turnovers in the contest. USC Aiken held a 34-22 edge in the paint and managed 13 points on the break.

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