ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team used a late run and strong defensive play down the stretch to knock off No. 25 Flagler 67-65 Saturday afternoon.

The Pacers are now 9-4 overall and 3-0 in league play.

Leading by two with eight seconds to go, USC Aiken forced the home team into a three-point attempt at the buzzer. The miss sent USC Aiken home with the win.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by David Strother's game-high 21 points. He also added six rebounds. Tyler Johnson added 12 points and seven rebounds while Preston Parks totaled 10 points. Mason McMurray netted nine points in the victory.  

Tyler Johnson's old-fashioned three-point play pulled USC Aiken to within one at 12-11 with 11:15 to go in the first half. A three-ball by Strother gave the visitors a 14-12 edge. Moments later, Samba Ndiaye hit a free throw before Parks and Johnson hit back-to-back three-point shots for a 21-14 margin.

A steal and lay-up by Johnson extended the lead to 25-15 with 6:05 to play in the half. USC Aiken maintained a double-digit advantage for most of the rest of the stanza before taking a 42-31 lead into the break.   

USC Aiken would lead 48-32 only to see the Saints march their way back into the game. Flagler took a 54-53 lead at the 9:41 mark. The Pacers embarked on a 9-0 spurt, thanks in part to a pair of three-point buckets by Strother. McMurray's three-point shot with 5:01 to go made it 65-54. Flagler pulled within three at 65-62 but a lay-up by Strother with 1:44 on the clock would make it a five-point game.

For the contest, USC Aiken hit 27-of-55 from the floor (49.1 percent), including seven-of-22 from downtown (31.8 percent). The squad also hit six-of-nine from the charity stripe (66.7 percent).  

The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they play at Georgia College at 7:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.