AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team registered a 78-61 win over No. 17 Flagler Saturday afternoon.

The Pacers are now 16-8 overall and 10-4 in league play. The Saints fall to 19-4 overall and 12-2 against PBC foes.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by a tremendous game from Preston Parks. He poured in a game-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including five-of-nine from downtown. Jalen McCoy erupted for 21 points, three assists and eight boards while Tehree Horn notched 17 points and six rebounds. 

David Strother chipped in six markers to go along with three assists.

USC Aiken raced out to a 10-2 edge after a quick 8-0 run. Parks hit a lay-up to make it 4-2. Then, McCoy and Parks combined for six straight markers. The Pacers pushed the lead to 10 when Strother found Parks with 11:18 to go in the half. 

Flagler cut the margin to seven at 26-19 only to have Horn hit a step-back jumper and Strother hit two straight foul shots for a 30-19 margin with 2:25 to play. The Saints made it 30-24 with 53 seconds left, but Parks banked in a three-ball with 38 ticks on the clock for a 33-24 halftime advantage.

The Saints cut the deficit to nine at 50-41 with 9:16 on the clock. However, Horn canned four consecutive free throws for a 54-41 lead with 7:59 to play.

Leading 54-43, Mason McMurray found Demitrios Dixon for a three-ball. Horn connected with Parks on the ensuing possession for another shot from distance, stretching the advantage to 17.

McCoy found Parks on a fast break with 4:00 to go. Parks took the pass and found the bottom of the net, giving the home team a 66-46 lead. A Strother jumper extended the lead to 24 with 3:11 to go. 

Flagler cut the margin to 18 with 35 seconds left before Melvin Archie once again pushed the margin to 20 points. A three-point basket by the Saints with five seconds to go made the final a 17-point contest.  

For the game, USC Aiken hit 26-of-58 from the floor (44.8 percent). The squad canned 20-of-27 from the free throw line (74.1 percent). The Pacers held a 41-40 edge in rebounds. USC Aiken forced 18 turnovers and converted the miscues into 23 points. 

It marks the highest-ranked team USC Aiken has defeated since downing No. 3 Lincoln Memorial on Nov. 10, 2018.  

The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they host Augusta at 5:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.