FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team posted a 67-65 victory at Emmanuel Wednesday evening.

The Pacers are now 5-1 on the season while the Lions drop to 5-2. Emmanuel recently knocked off No. 1 Northwest Missouri State and No. 21 Northern State. The team received votes in this week's Top-25 poll.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Jalen McCoy's game-high 19 points. He added six rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal in the victory. Tehree Horn added 15 points go along with four boards and a pair of assists. Devin Evans hit double figures with 10 markers on five-of-eight shooting.

Jameel Rideout tallied seven points and three assists while Tyler Johnson snagged a game-best 10 rebounds. He added four points and four assists.

Demitrios Dixon contributed six points while Rhyjon Blackwell, Dwight Canady, Jr., and Simeon German each scored two points. Chedlet Delva swatted two shots and pulled down seven rebounds while German accounted for six boards.

USC Aiken got off to a quick start as Evans found Horn for a three-point bucket to get the scoring going. McCoy snagged a rebound and laid it up and in for a 5-0 lead. Up 5-2, McCoy and Horn each added baskets. Johnson's jumper at the 15:08 mark extended the margin to nine, 11-2.

Leading 15-10, McCoy hit one of two free throws. Dixon found Blackwell for a jumper on the break prior to German grabbing an offensive board and putting it in for the team's largest victory of the evening.

McCoy's lay-up off a pass from Johnson made it 30-22 with 2:19 to play but the Lions roared back, knotting the score at 30-30 on a last-second three-point bucket just before halftime.

Down 36-33, Evans threw down a dunk. Moments later, he hit a pair of inside shots to make it 39-36. Dixon's three-point shot off a pass from Delva and Horn's jumper made it a 44-36 game with 13:58 to play.

Vanderslice's team pushed the lead to nine on a three-ball from Dixon at the 12:37 mark but the Lions tied the contest at 53-53 with 8:19 to go.

Down 61-60, McCoy converted an old-fashioned three-point play. On the ensuing possession, he took a pass from Blackwell and laid it in for a four-point advantage. McCoy nailed a shot with 1:17 to go, making it 67-63 but Emmanuel pulled within two with 58 seconds remaining.

With seven seconds to go, Delva swatted a shot. The Lions attempted a three-point shot with five seconds to play but the home squad managed to secure the rebound. After a time-out, solid defense forced Emmanuel into a tough three-point attempt that missed. Johnson secured the rebound and the victory for the visitors.

For the game, USC Aiken hit 29-of-68 from the floor (42.6 percent). The 15 offensive rebounds helped the team register 22 second-chance points. Vanderslice's team recorded 36 points in the paint. The squad maintained a 43-25 edge on the glass and dished out 18 assists on 29 field goals.  

The Pacers return to action Saturday when they host Claflin at 3:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.