AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team lost a hard-fought 79-75 game to Wingate Monday evening in a non-conference contest.

The Pacers are now 3-3 on the season.

Tehree Horn led the way with a team-high 17 points. He added four boards and three assists. Preston Parks contributed 15 points while LaTreavin Black accounted for a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. 

David Strother added nine markers while Mason McMurray tallied seven points and six rebounds. Jalen McCoy and Tyler Johnson added six and five points, respectively. Demitrios Dixon dished out a team-best four assists.

In a tightly-contested first half, the Bulldogs led by six at 23-17 before McCoy registered a steal and lay-up. Dixon found Parks for a three-ball, slicing the margin to one, 23-22. Trailing 26-23, Samba Ndiaye converted a free throw and Dixon found Horn for a bucket on the break, making it a one-point game. 

Dixon found Parks for a three-point bucket. Dixon then connected with Parks for a lay-up on the break, giving the home squad a 30-26 edge. Strother's lay-up pushed the advantage to six, 32-26, with 5:03 to play in the half. 

Wingate took a 33-32 lead before McMurray drained a three-point shot with 1:41 to play. However, the visitors took a 35-34 lead into halftime. 

The second half continued to be a back-and-forth affair. Down 51-48, McCoy canned a jumper. Horn netted a three-ball and Strother took a pass from Black and converted a jump shot. A bucket by McCoy pushed the advantage to 57-51 with 11:41 to play.

The Bulldogs whittled the margin to one with 5:53 to go, but Ndiaye found Johnson for a basket. Wingate led 75-71 with 2:00 to go but Johnson registered a steal and lay-up to bring the home squad within two. Down 77-73, Strother hit a lay-up. However, the visitors made the ensuing free throws after a foul and held on for the four-point victory. 

For the game, USC Aiken hit 30-of-71 from the floor (42.3 percent), including nine-of-29 from downtown (31.0 percent). The Pacers scored 40 points in the paint and converted 16 turnovers into 19 points. Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team also held a 15-0 edge in fast break points. 

The Pacers return to action Wednesday, Dec. 1, when they travel to St. Augustine's for a 7:30 p.m. contest. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.