AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team posted a 73-70 victory over Francis Marion Saturday on Senior Day.

Down 70-69 with 20 seconds left, Anyeuri Castillo blocked a shot and Donaven Hairston snagged the rebound. A foul with 17 seconds to play put Jalen McCoy at the line and he calmly sank both charity tosses. USC Aiken forced the visitors into a turnover with six seconds to play and after a foul, Tehree Horn hit a pair of free throws.

With two seconds to play, FMU launched a three-point shot that was blocked by Castillo, sealing the hard-fought victory for USC Aiken.

The Pacers are now 9-5 overall and 8-4 in league play.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Castillo and Hairston, who each tallied 17 points. Castillo added 10 rebounds for a double-double. Gus Rowland totaled 16 points while Latreavin Black snagged nine rebounds.

Trailing 14-4, USC Aiken shook off the slow start on Senior Day and pulled within one at 18-17 when Castillo hit a pair of free throws with 9:12 to go in the half. At the 5:27 mark, Rowland found Hairston for a three-point bucket, once again pulling the home squad within one at 26-25.

After Hairston knotted the contest at 26-26, McCoy's lay-up with 4:44 to play gave the Pacers a two-point edge. USC Aiken led 41-35 with six seconds to play, but Rowland extended the margin to nine at the break when he raced down the court and hit a 27-foot jumper at the buzzer, making it 44-35. 

FMU took a 51-50 lead with 13:53 to go in the game. From that point forward, it was a back-and-forth affair. The teams traded baskets and a three-ball from the Patriots left the score tied at 58-58 with 10:21 to play. Neither team scored over four minutes, but Rowland broke the silence at the 5:57 mark with a bucket.

USC Aiken led 69-65 after a steal and lay-up by Rowland, but FMU scored five points in a 24-second span, taking a 70-69 lead with 59 seconds to play.

For the game, USC Aiken hit 24-of-62 from the floor (38.7 percent). The squad made 11-of-33 from the three-point stripe (33.3 percent) and connected on 14-of-20 from the charity stripe (70 percent). The Pacers converted 16 turnovers into 12 points. 

It marked the last home game for Darius Bell and Ryan Missildine. The seniors were honored prior to the game.

The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they play at Flagler. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.