AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team notched a 75-70 win over Winston-Salem State Saturday afternoon behind a career-high 29 points from Emily Trushel.

The Pacers are now 2-2 on the season. The Rams drop to 2-2.

Head coach Mark Miller's team was led by Emily Trushel's 29 points and five rebounds while Delaney Trushel added 16 points, three rebounds and three steals. Breanna Gustave narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds.

Jentri Worley dished out four assists to go along with her six markers. Marta Rivera came off the bench to net five points and snag seven rebounds. Madison Williams dished out a team-best five assists. 

USC Aiken opened a six-point advantage just before the end of the first quarter. Leading 12-11 with 3:27 to go, Emily Trushel hit a pair of free throws at the 3:02 mark. Up by five after a lay-up from Gustave, the Rams trimmed the margin to three at 16-13. However, Worley pulled up from 25 feet out and banked in a three-ball for the six-point lead going into the second quarter.

The Pacers went up by 10 at the 7:31 mark when Williams found Gustave for a three-point bucket on the break. WSSU managed to cut into the lead and tied it at 30-30 at the 3:02 mark. After a time-out, Marta Rivera took a pass from Gustave and hit a jumper. On the ensuing possession, Emily Trushel hit a three-point shot. WSSU netted the final four points of the half to make it 35-34 at intermission.

Although USC Aiken jumped out to a 41-36 lead, the visitors managed to knot it at 42-42. The back-and-forth affair was tied at 48-48 with 57 seconds to play in the third. Williams found Hailey Unger for a shot from downtown before a lay-up at the buzzer made it a 51-50 game in favor of the home squad.

Tied at 53-53, Miller's team embarked on an 11-0 run. Emily Trushel started it off with a lay-up. She buried a jumper off a pass from Worley. Worley and Marta Rivera each hit a foul shot before Emily Trushel took a pass from Rivera for a bucket. Williams found Delaney Trushel for a three-point basket at the 5:49 mark for a 64-53 advantage.

The Rams were able to slice the deficit to two at 72-70 with 27 seconds to play. Delaney Trushel was fouled and hit both free throws. On the ensuing possession, WSSU missed a three-point shot and an inside jumper before Delaney Trushel snagged the rebound. Her free throw with 12 ticks remaining sealed the game for the home team.

For the game, USC Aiken hit 25-of-49 from the floor (51.0 percent), including eight-of-18 from downtown (44.4 percent). The squad also connected on 17-of-24 from the charity stripe (70.8 percent). USC Aiken held a 34-31 edge on the glass. Miller's team dished out 18 assists on 25 field goals.  

The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they hit the road for a game at Shaw at 2 p.m.