AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team recorded a hard-fought 68-66 victory over Young Harris Saturday afternoon.

The Pacers are now 16-10 overall, including 10-6 in league play. The Mountain Lions are now 11-13 overall and 7-9 in the PBC.

Head coach Mark Miller's team was led by Annalise Malone's team-high 15 points. Breanna Gustave added 13 points and six rebounds. Jentri Worley notched 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists while Hailey Unger chipped in 11 markers. Emily Trushel tallied nine points and five boards. 

Delaney Trushel snagged five boards and recorded a pair of steals. 

Tied at 12-12 in the first quarter, Delaney Trushel found Worley for a three-ball. Leading 15-14, Worley found Kelsie Woodard for a lay-up. A bucket by Unger with 41 seconds to go in the stanza pushed the score to 19-16 in favor of the home team.

Tied at 25-25, Gustave and Malone converted back-to-back shots. A basket by Unger extended the lead to 31-25 but the visitors maintained a 35-33 advantage at the break.

Down by four heading into the fourth frame, Miller's team responded in fine fashion. USC Aiken trailed 57-53 but Worley connected with Unger for a three-point shot, making it 57-56. Down by four, Malone hit the second free throw attempt. Moments later, she was fouled and hit one-of-two again to pull the home squad within two at 60-58. Worley's free throws knotted the game at 60-60.

Malone and Gustave hit two free throws apiece, giving the home squad a 64-60 lead with 26 seconds to play. Emily Trushel and Malone each canned two free throws, giving USC Aiken a 68-63 working margin with eight seconds to go. The visitors hit a last-second three-point shot for the final tally. 

Overall, USC Aiken closed the game on a 12-3 run spanning the final 3:34.

For the game, USC Aiken hit 22-of-57 from the floor (38.6 percent), including five-of-13 from downtown (38.5 percent). The squad buried 19-of-22 from the charity stripe (86.4 percent). 

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