JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team recorded a 74-70 overtime win over Lenoir-Rhyne Saturday evening in the season opener.
The Pacers are now 1-0 on the season.
Head coach
Mark Miller's team was led by
Hailey Unger's team-high 21 points on eight-of-19 shooting, including four-of-13 from downtown. She added a team-best four assists in the win.
Annalise Malone accounted for 17 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. She added two steals and a block.
Kelsie Woodard tallied 10 points and eight boards while
Jentri Worley netted eight points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Jaya Nelson chipped in seven points while
Sami Bardonaro (six points) and
Serena Baker (five points) reached the scoring column.
USC Aiken opened the game strong. Unger got things going with an early bucket. Malone found Woodard for a lay-up before Unger's bucket in the paint made it 6-0. Malone and Woodard again found the bottom of the net moments later for a 10-2 lead with 5:51 to play in the first quarter.
The Bears battled back to take a 15-13 lead with 2:26 to go in the stanza. Unger and Webster connected on back-to-back shots from downtown for a four-point edge with 1:09 to play. A pair of free throws by L-R made it 19-17 heading into the second quarter.
Tied at 19-19, Woodard converted an inside shot at the 9:21 mark of the second quarter to start an 8-0 run. Baker made a lay-up off a pass from Unger before Nelson hit a shot in the lane. Worley's jumper pushed the margin to 27-19 with 7:39 to play before halftime.
Baker's shot at the 5:09 mark extended the advantage to 11, 32-21. After neither team could score for a couple of minutes, Unger broke the drought with a three-point play. USC Aiken kept the advantage in double figures going into halftime. A pair of late free throws by the Bears made it 38-27 at the break.
Leading 48-39 after L-R hit a shot with 3:50 to play in the third stanza,
Marta Rivera found Woodard for a lay-up almost a minute later. Bardonaro hit Unger with a solid pass and Unger nailed a three-ball, pushing the lead to 14, 53-39, with 2:33 to play.
Up 53-43, Unger returned the favor and connected with Bardonaro, who promptly drilled a shot from distance, to make it a 13-point contest. A shot in the paint by the Bears with two ticks on the clock pulled the designated home team within 11 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Bears tied the contest at 56-56 with 6:53 to play but Nelson gave Miller's team the lead on a bucket at the 6:12 mark. USC Aiken led 59-58 but L-R embarked on a 6-0 spurt. Unger found Woodard for a basket with 3:45 to play, trimming the deficit to three, 64-61. A free throw by Malone just over a minute later made it a two-point game. Fifty seconds later, Nelson found Malone for a bucket, knotting the score at 64-64.
Trailing by two, USC Aiken called a time-out with 33 seconds to play. After the break in action, Unger drained a jumper, sending the contest into overtime.
Malone's bucket at the 3:48 mark knotted the game at 68-68. With 2:05 to go, she hit another inside shot for a two-point lead. Worley pushed the advantage to four, 72-68, with 52 seconds to go.
Leading 72-70, Miller's team committed a turnover with 28 seconds to go. The Bears called a time-out to set up a play. L-R missed a shot and USC Aiken was fouled with 16 seconds remaining. Worley calmly stepped to the line and drained both attempts, extending the margin to four, 74-70. A late steal by Malone secured the victory.
For the game, Miller's team hit 30-of-70 from the floor (42.9 percent). The squad converted six shots from downtown. USC Aiken snagged 52 rebounds compared to 37 by the Bears. The team dished out 14 assists in the game. The squad tallied 19 second-chance points in the win.
The Pacers return to action tomorrow at Carson-Newman. The game is slated to start at 3 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.
