AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team produced an 83-79 victory over Clayton State in the PBC opener Saturday afternoon.

The Pacers are now 6-3 on the season, including 1-0 in league play. The Lakers fall to 1-7 overall and 0-1 in the PBC.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Tehree horn's 25-point, six-rebound performance. He led all student-athletes in points and his six boards topped the rest of the Pacers. Karon Boyd added 14 points and five rebounds. Jalen McCoy came off the bench to net 12 points while Jameel Rideout tallied 10 points to go along with four assists and two thefts.

Samba Ndiaye added seven markers while Daniel Parrish chipped in six in the victory.

Leading 11-10, Horn registered a steal and converted the lay-up in transition. Jameel Rideout pushed the margin to 14-10 on a free throw at the 13:51 mark. Up 14-11, Parrish hit a jumper in the lane for a seven-point margin. 

Clayton State pulled within one at 28-27 before Ndiaye buried two free throws. A three-ball by Jammy Pierre-Louis extended the lead to six, 33-27. Up by four, Boyd hit a jumper and Horn canned a three-point shot. Rideout's bucket pushed the lead to 11, 42-31. However, the visitors made it 42-37 at the break after a six-point run.

USC Aiken led 48-41 before making it a 13-point game moments later when Rideout found Boyd for a three-ball. The Pacers managed to extend the advantage to 19 when Horn drilled a jumper in the paint for a 66-47 score. The Lakers made it a nine-point game at the 6:04 mark, but Vanderslice's team kept the visitors at bay. 

The lead was cut to just two points with 10 seconds on the clock. Clayton State was unable to force a turnover and had to foul with three seconds to play. Horn hit the final two free throws for the four-point victory.  

For the game, USC Aiken hit 32-of-67 from the floor (47.8 percent) and knocked down six three-point buckets. Vanderslice's team accounted for 17 points off turnovers and the bench outscored the visitors 23-11.

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