COLUMBUS, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team overcame an early 11-point deficit to post a 73-64 win at Columbus State Wednesday evening.

The Pacers are now 20-7 overall, including 13-4 in league play.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Tehree Horn's game-high 18 points to go along with five rebounds, three steals and a block. Reigning PBC Player of the Week Jalen McCoy totaled 17 points and seven rebounds. He was a perfect seven-of-seven from the floor in the game.

Karon Boyd tallied 12 points and six rebounds while Tyler Johnson chipped in eight points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Jameel Rideout totaled seven points and five assists.

Trailing 28-17, Horn hit a pair of free throws to jumpstart the offense at the 5:58 mark. Johnson buried a three-ball before Horn canned a jumper to make it 28-24. Boyd converted back-to-back lay-ups before McCoy took a pass from Rideout and nailed a shot. Johnson found Horn for a three-ball before Johnson's turnaround jumper concluded the astounding 18-0 run. The Pacers held a 38-31 lead going into intermission.

Rideout's free throw early in the second half extended the margin to 10, 41-31. With 11:51 to go, Chedlet Delva canned two charity tosses for a 57-41 margin. Leading 57-43, Johnson found Horn for another shot from deep, giving Vanderslice's team a 60-43 advantage.

Although the Cougars pulled within six at 60-54, Samba Ndiaye hit an inside shot. Then, Rideout converted a three-point bucket at the 5:24 mark. Rideout found McCoy for a lay-up with 4:19 to play, essentially putting the game away for the visitors. It wasn't until the waning seconds did the home squad cut the deficit to single digits.   

For the game, USC Aiken hit 27-of-60 from the floor (45.0 percent), including seven-of-21 from distance (33.3 percent). The squad canned 12-of-15 from the floor (80.0 percent). The Pacers held a 36-34 edge on the glass. The team recorded 14 points off turnovers and held a 30-26 edge in the paint. Vanderslice's team also maintained a 16-12 lead in second-chance points.

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