AUGUSTA, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team's tremendous season came to an end in a hard-fought 89-83 loss against third-seeded Lincoln Memorial Tuesday evening in the Sweet 16.

The Pacers end the year at 24-9.

USC Aiken nearly had a sensational comeback after trailing 75-59 in the waning moments but LMU held on for the win.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Jalen McCoy's career-high 34 points. He was 12-of-22 from the floor, including four-of-five from downtown. McCoy scored 19 points over the final 3:13, accounting for all but three USC Aiken scored during that time.

Karon Boyd added 16 points while Jameel Rideout tallied 13 in the contest. Rideout also snagged seven rebounds. Tehree Horn and Tyler Johnson added seven points apiece. Samba Ndiaye accounted for six rebounds.

USC Aiken jumped out to a 5-0 lead just 1:36 into the game. Rideout canned a three-ball off a pass from Horn before Horn beat the defense for a lay-up.

Trailing 9-7, McCoy found Ndiaye for a bucket. Then, Johnson made an inside shot for a two-point advantage. Moments later, a Rideout jumper gave the visitors a 13-12 edge at the 14:45 mark.

LMU went on an 8-0 spurt for a 20-13 lead before McCoy netted five straight points to pull within two at 20-18. Vanderslice's team was down 34-23 but Boyd buried a three-ball. Horn hit a foul shot to pull the Pacers within seven.

Down 42-31, McCoy hit two free throws at the 2:03 mark. With 1:29 to play, Boyd nailed a jumper. Trailing 44-35, Boyd hit an 18-foot fadeaway at the buzzer to make it 44-37 at the break.  

After intermission, LMU hit a shot with 19:14 to play but USC Aiken responded quickly. Johnson hit a lay-up before Boyd took a pass from Rideout for a basket. Rideout's shot from way downtown tied the game at 46-46.

The Railsplitters netted the next four points but Horn and McCoy each canned shots, once again tying the game with 16:02 to play at 50-50.

LMU went on a 9-2 run before McCoy's lay-up made it a five-point contest, 59-54, at the 10:30 mark. Down 64-54, Rideout hit one-of-two from the line and McCoy made a lay-to pull within seven at 64-57. The Railsplitters responded with a 9-0 run before Boyd hit two free throws with 4:29 to go to make it 73-59.

Six straight points by McCoy within a 20-second span made it 75-65 with 2:47 to play. Trailing 79-68, McCoy buried a three-point shot with 2:08 remaining. He was fouled on a three-point shot and calmly nailed the charity tosses to pull within five, 79-74 at the 1:54 mark.

LMU led 83-74 before McCoy hit one from 25 feet out, making it 83-77 with 1:03 remaining. McCoy canned a three ball and was fouled. He missed the free throw but Rideout hit one from across the river to pull within two at 85-83.

USC Aiken fouled with 17 seconds remaining and the Railsplitters hit both free throws for a four-point edge. The Pacers tried to hit a runner along the baseline, but it narrowly missed with nine ticks left. LMU hit two free throws for the final margin.  

For the game, USC Aiken hit 31-of-81 from the floor (38.3 percent), including nine-of-28 from downtown (32.1 percent). The Pacers scored 24 points off turnovers and held a 40-28 edge in the paint.

Postgame Interview