AIKEN, S.C. - The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball lost to the Columbus State Cougars in overtime Wednesday evening, 80-77.

The Pacers are now 15-6 on the season, including 8-3 in league play. The Cougars climb to 12-9 on the year and 5-6 against PBC teams.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Karon Boyd who scored a double-double with 18 points and 13 boards in 27 minutes of work. Boyd was six-for-11 from the floor including three-for-six from downtown. He was also three-for-four from the free throw line.  

Tyler Johnson added 15 points in 35 minutes. Demitrios Dixon scored in double digits with 13 points and added two rebounds.  

The visitors jumped out to the early lead scoring first just sixteen seconds into the game. The Pacers tied the game 24 seconds later at 2-2. Tyler Johnson broke the tie with a lay-up. The Cougars tied the game for the second time at 4-4 with their own lay-up. USC Aiken reclaimed the lead at the 3:19 mark and never relinquished it in the first half.

The Pacers stretched their lead to 14 after a three pointer made by Tehree Horn. After a pair of free throws by the opponent, USC Aiken again took a 14-point lead by way of a Jalen McCoy layup.

The Cougars continued to chip away at the Pacers lead and went on a 17-to-5 run with 7:08 left in the half to end the opening period down by just two, 36-34.  

Johnson led the Pacers in the first half with seven points while Boyd added five points and five rebounds. Samba Ndiaye added four points with six rebounds in the first 20 minutes of action.

The Cougars scored first in the second half, tying the game for the third time, 36-36. The Pacers went up by two at the 33-second mark and again saw the scored tied 19 seconds later, 38-38.

It was a back-and-forth affair for most of the second period with the Pacers earning the lead and stretching it to as many as 15 points. With 10:36 left in the half, USC Aiken watched their lead dwindle to one with 2:47 left in regulation. A three pointer by the visitors tied the game for the fifth time at 67-67 with 1:28 remaining. Two free throws by Tehree Horn gave the Pacers the lead only to see the sixth tie of the game come 49-seconds later on a jumper by the Cougars.

In overtime, USC Aiken got out to an early lead with a three pointer by Boyd. The Cougars regained the lead with 3:58 left in overtime. The game saw its seventh tie at the 2:08 mark, 75-75. Columbus State scored a three with 1:34 remaining en route to the victory.

For the game, USC Aiken hit 27-of-70 (38.6 percent) from the floor, including 11-of-35 (31.4 percent) from three-point land. Pacers outrebounded the Cougars 52-37.

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