AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team recorded an 80-62 victory over Claflin Saturday afternoon.

The Pacers are now 6-1 on the season.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Jalen McCoy's game-high 18 points and eight rebounds. Rhyjon Blackwell added a season-best 15 points to go along with eight boards and a steal. Jameel Rideout chipped in 13 points to go along with two steals.

Dwight Canady, Jr., tallied nine points – all of which came from downtown while Tehree Horn added eight points. Tyler Johnson notched seven points and six boards while Devin Evans had six points and four rebounds. Chedlet Delva totaled four points while Simeon German accounted for four rebounds. 

USC Aiken jumped out to a 13-0 lead just 3:02 into the contest. Rideout got things going with a deep three-point bucket. He added another shot from distance before Horn's three-ball made it 9-0. After a steal and dunk by Johnson made it 11-0, Johnson added a lay-up off a pass from Evans for the 13-point advantage.

Up 19-7, Blackwell hit a pair of free throws. With 12:33 to play, Demitrios Dixon found Dwight Canady, Jr., for a shot from behind the arc. Blackwell's two charity tosses pushed the score to 26-7 with 11:47 to play at halftime.

McCoy's free throw at the 9:47 mark extended the advantage to 20, 30-10. McCoy found Horn for a three-point shot to go up 33-11. Moments later, Horn dished out a pass and Rideout pulled up on a fast break for a wing three-point shot. USC Aiken extended the margin to 36 with 1:53 to go on a jumper by Evans before taking a 51-20 lead into intermission.

Canady, Jr.'s three-point bucket off a pass from Blackwell at the 12:42 mark made it 67-33.  Moments later, McCoy's old-fashioned three-point play pushed the score to 72-37. From there, Claflin trimmed the deficit slowly the rest of the way, but USC Aiken maintained complete control.

The entire team saw playing time in the victory. 

For the game, USC Aiken canned 28-of-67 from the floor (41.8 percent), including a solid 12-of-28 from downtown (42.9 percent). Vanderslice's team held a 44-40 edge on the glass. The squad dished out 13 assists on 28 field goals. 

The Pacers garnered 32 points in the paint and got 28 points of the bench. USC Aiken held a 36-point advantage – its largest of the game – with 1:53 to go in the first half. 

The Pacers return to action Saturday, Dec. 9 when they travel to St. Augustine's for a 4 p.m., contest.