AMERICUS, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team lost an 81-64 contest at No. 15 Georgia Southwestern Monday evening.
The Pacers are now 5-4 overall and 1-1 in league play. The Hurricanes stand at 7-1 overall and 2-0 in PBC play.
Head coach
Mark Miller's team was led by
Emily Trushel's 16 points on seven-of-14 shooting. She also added five rebounds.
Annalise Malone and
Marta Rivera each accounted for 11 points. Malone nailed four-of-six from the field while Rivera connected on three-of-four.
Breanna Gustave chipped in six points and five boards.
Delaney Trushel,
Hailey Unger and
Kelsie Woodard added four points apiece. Gustave and Unger had three assists each.
Down 10-6, Rivera hit a pair of free throws at the 4:33 mark of the first quarter. After a block by Unger, Rivera took a pass from her and canned a jumper, knotting the score at 10-10. Trailing 12-10,
Delaney Trushel connected on a lay-up. Two free throws from
Jentri Worley gave USC Aiken a 14-12 edge with 1:57 to go. With 29 seconds to play in the first quarter, Unger found
Emily Trushel for a lay-up, giving the visitors a 16-15 advantage going into the second frame.
Georgia Southwestern managed to take a 19-18 lead at the 7:15 mark of the second quarter and was able to retain the lead the rest of the way. Miller's squad continued to play hard but the nationally-ranked foe was able to extend the margin to double digits for good with 3:16 to go in the stanza.
In the fourth quarter, USC Aiken outscored the Hurricanes 20-12. During the quarter,
Delaney Trushel started the 9-0 run at the opening of the frame with a pair of free throws. Malone took a pass from Gustave and nailed a jumper. On the ensuing possession, Malone connected with
Emily Trushel for a lay-up, making it 69-50. At the 8:18 mark, Malone found the bottom of the net on a free throw. Malone hit another field goal to pull within 16. The visitors were able to cut the margin to 15 on a pair of occasions, but that was as close as the team could get.
For the game, USC Aiken hit 19-of-46 from the field (41.3 percent), including five-of-15 from downtown (33.3 percent). The squad was outstanding at the charity stripe, hitting 21-o-f-25 (84.0 percent). Miller's team tallied 31 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass.
The team distributed the ball well, totaling 13 assists on 19 field goals. USC Aiken held a 24-18 edge in the paint.
The Pacers return to action Friday when they host Coker at 5:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.
