AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team put up a valiant effort but dropped a 71-61 contest to No. 2 Lander Wednesday evening.
The Pacers are now 2-5 overall and 2-4 in league play. The Bearcats stand at 11-0 on the year and 9-0 against PBC foes.
Head coach
Mark Miller's team was led by
Rikoya Anderson's 16 points and nine rebounds.
Emily Trushel accounted for 11 points and 10 boards for a double-double while
Chesney Gardner contributed 11 markers.
Grace Crawford and
Delaney Trushel chipped in seven and six points, respectively.
Allycia Harris snagged nine rebounds while
Chidinma Okafor pulled down seven.
Trailing 28-17 in the second quarter, USC Aiken closed the half on a 15-5 spurt. Gardner got things going with a jumper off a pass from Anderson. Crawford found
Emily Trushel on the ensuing possession to make it 28-21.
After a Crawford rebound, Gardner drilled a three-point basket. Crawford got into the action with a jumper, pulling the team within four at 30-26. Trailing 33-27,
Madison Williams found
Emily Trushel for a three-point bucket with 1:29 to play. With less than 20 ticks on the clock,
Emily Trushel grabbed an offensive rebound, dribbled to her left and sliced back through the defense for a basket, making the halftime score 33-32.
USC Aiken continued to play strong, hitting key shots throughout the third stanza. Down 48-45,
Delaney Trushel nailed a three-ball with 3:02 to play. Moments later, Crawford buried a shot from distance for a three-point edge. A pair of Crawford free throws made it a 53-51 score going into the fourth quarter.
Lander went on a 13-1 run to start the final quarter for a 10-point edge. Harris canned a jumper off a pass from Anderson to make it 64-56. A three-point shot from
Kanna Suzuki pulled the home team within seven at 68-61, but that was as close as the Pacers would get the rest of the way.
For the game, USC Aiken hit 21-of-54 from the floor (38.9 percent), including eight-of-18 from downtown (44.4 percent). Miller's team held a 50-38 rebounding advantage against the visitors.
The Pacers are set to return to action Saturday at UNC Pembroke. Continue checking back with PacerSports.com for all schedule changes.
