HICKORY, N.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 68-62 contest at Lenoir-Rhyne Saturday afternoon.

Head coach Mark Miller's team was led by Chidinma Okafor's game-high 20 points. She added nine rebounds and four blocks. Jentri Worley poured in 18 points to go along with six boards and a pair of steals.

Grace Crawford added seven points while Delaney Trushel and Allycia Harris tallied six points apiece. Harris snagged seven boards in the loss. Madison Williams distributed seven assists.  

USC Aiken fell behind 7-0 before Okafor converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 5:35 on the clock in the first stanza. Crawford hit a pair of free throws before Worley drained a three-ball for an 8-7 advantage. Down 16-10, Crawford hit a charity toss and found Okafor for a jumper, making it a 16-13 contest heading into the second quarter.

Miller's team knotted it multiple times in the frame, including at 22-22 when Williams found Okafor for a bucket. However, the Bears ended the run on a 15-3 spurt for a 37-25 lead at the break.

Miller's team cut into the margin in the early going of the third quarter. A 6-2 spurt made it 41-37 with 4:16 to play. Down 44-37, Williams found Worley for a three-point bucket. That ignited a run by USC Aiken as Harris drained a jumper. After a Williams' free throw cut the deficit to one, 44-43, Emily Trushel found Okafor for a lay-up and a 45-44 advantage. The teams traded points but L-R held a 48-47 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Emily Trushel took a pass from Okafor at the start of the fourth quarter and nailed a shot for a 49-48 lead. However, the Bears embarked on a 13-0 run for a 61-49 advantage with 2:40 to play.

Miller's team fought back as Worley connected on two free throws at the 2:17 mark. Down 63-51, Delaney Trushel took a pass from Williams and drained one from deep. Crawford's jumper made it 63-56 with 1:25 to go.   

USC Aiken pulled within four at 66-62 after a three-point shot from Worley, but L-R hit two free throws seconds later for the final points.  

For the game, USC Aiken hit 23-of-63 from the floor (36.5 percent), including five-of-16 from distance (31.3 percent). The Pacers pulled down 42 rebounds, including 12 on the offensive glass. Miller's team dished out 17 assists and held a 12-7 advantage in second-chance points.

The Pacers return to action tomorrow when they square off against No. 21 Carson-Newman (at Lenoir-Rhyne) at 3 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.