AMERICUS, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team outscored Georgia Southwestern 14-9 in the second overtime as the team won 98-93 Saturday evening.
The Pacers are now 10-5 overall, including 4-1 in league play.
Head coach
Mark Vanderslice's team was led by
David Strother's game-high 26 points. He also added seven assists.
Tehree Horn narrowly missed a double-double with 24 points and nine boards.
Jalen McCoy added 14 points and six rebounds while
Tyler Johnson accounted for 13 points, 12 rebounds and three steals.
LaTreavin Black barely missed out on a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. He also chipped in three steals.
USC Aiken trailed 13-8 before
David Strother and
LaTreavin Black each connected with baskets, pulling the team within one. A lay-up from
Jalen McCoy gave the visitors a 14-13 edge.
Trailing 34-23 with 5:59 on the clock, Vanderslice's team embarked on a 13-1 run to close out the half.
Demitrios Dixon sliced through the lane for a lay-up. Horn took a pass from
Caleb Furr and nailed a three-ball. Down 35-28, Horn converted a lay-up. On the ensuing possession, Horn found McCoy for a bucket. After a defensive rebound, Horn hit a shot in the lane with 1:25 to play in the half. A steal and lay-up by Johnson gave the visitors a 36-35 advantage at the break.
The Pacers slowly built their advantage in the second period. Leading 40-37, Horn canned two free throws and Black made a lay-up, making it 44-37. Strother's jumper extended the lead to nine with 15:38 to play. Up by four,
Mason McMurray converted a lay-up. Strother added two free throws, pushing it to eight, 51-43.
After GSW trimmed the margin to five with 12:54 to play,
Samba Ndiaye found Johnson for a lay-up. McMurray added two free throws, extending the advantage to nine with 11:06 to go. Horn blocked a shot, grabbed a rebound and made a lay-up, making it 57-47 with 8:47 on the clock.
The Hurricanes cut the margin to three, 63-60, with 5:18 to go but Johnson grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it in.
GSW took a 66-65 lead with 3:51 to go in regulation. The home squad was up 69-65 before Strother converted an old-fashioned three-point play. Trailing 73-70 after a made free throw by the Hurricanes, Strother found McCoy for a three-ball, knotting the score with 16 seconds to play. GSW missed a three-point shot and Black's rebound forced the extra session.
The home team took a 77-74 lead only to see McCoy and Black make back-to-back shots. Tied at 82-82, McCoy hit an inside shot with 53 seconds remaining. GSW knotted the game 13 seconds later. McCoy missed a lay-up but Black snared the offensive rebound with 21 seconds on the clock. USC Aiken missed a shot at the buzzer, resulting in a second overtime.
GSW took a 90-86 lead but Strother netted four straight points. Horn's 18-foot jumper gave the visitors a 92-90 advantage with 1:34 left in the second overtime session. Leading 94-93, Horn dribbled across the court and buried a fade-away 18-foot jumper.
The Hurricanes missed an inside shot and the Pacers grabbed the board. Strother was fouled and hit two free throws for a 98-93 score with 11.6 seconds remaining. Black recorded a steal with seven seconds to play, sending the visitors to the five-point win.
For the game, USC Aiken hit 37-of-76 from the floor (48.7 percent), including five-of-18 from the three-point line (27.8 percent). The squad canned 19-of-27 from the charity stripe (70.4 percent). USC Aiken held a 48-38 lead on the boards. The 14 offensive rebounds resulted in 13 seconds-chance points. Fifty-eight of the team's points came in the paint.
The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they host Clayton State at 7:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.
