Men's Basketball | June 12, 2023

The University of South Carolina Aiken had many thrilling moments throughout the action-packed 2022-2023 season. Whether it was on the diamond, the court, the course, the tee box or the pitch, PacerSports.com is going to relive some of those unforgettable highlights that defines the Pacers' spirit a sport at a time.
 
Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team had several memorable moments throughout the season. Individually, Jalen McCoy had a career-high 34 points in the Sweet 16 contest against Lincoln Memorial. The point total was also highest for the team on the season. 
 
Tehree Horn had the seasonal game-high three-point field goals made with six-of-nine on his way to a career-high 32 points against Flagler. Horn also collected his 1,000 point as a Pacer against North Georgia on Senior Day. All 23 points he scored in the game were netted in the second half. He finished the season with 526 points. 
 
Who could forget Jameel Rideout's last second heroics in overtime to win at North Georgia.  Rideout took the ball with eight seconds left. He went the length of the court, crossed up his defender and moved toward the baseline before drilling a 15-foot jumper with six-tenths of a second remaining for the game-winning shot.
 
Collectively, the team claimed the PBC regular-season title finishing the year with an overall record of 24-9 and 14-4 in the conference. USC Aiken won close matchups against Clayton State, Barton, Georgia Southwestern and Young Harris. 
 
Even with the individual and collective accomplishments, the best moments of the season were USC Aiken knocking off nationally-ranked Augusta three times throughout the season. In January, the Pacers celebrated a five-point win over the No. 9 Jaguars at home. Traveling to Augusta, Ga., Vanderslice's team defeated No. 15 AU by 10. In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, USC Aiken once again beat Augusta 84-77 on their home court to advance to the Sweet 16. 
 
In the Sweet 16, the Pacers nearly had a sensational comeback after trailing 75-59 to the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters with 3:54 left in the game. The 16-point lead was chipped away as McCoy scored six points in a 20-second span to close the gap to 75-65 with 2:47 to play. He buried a three-point shot and was fouled on the play. The made free throw drew USC Aiken within five with 1:54 remaining. 
 
At the 1:03 mark, Lincoln Memorial held the 83-77 lead, but once again, McCoy buried a three and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but Rideout hit his own three drawing the Pacers within two (85-83). A series of fouls and made free throws gave the Railsplitters the 89-83 victory. 
 
Several Pacers earned honors, for their seasonal efforts. Horn was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches all-district team, the Division II Conference Commissioners Association all-region team and the PBC all-conference team. McCoy and Tyler Johnson were also named to the PBC all-conference team. Vanderslice picked up his second Herbert Greene Coach of the Year honor.