Women's Basketball | June 14, 2023

AIKEN, S.C. - 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 Miller's team had several memorable moments throughout the season. Individually, Emily Trushel had a season for the ages en route to being named to the all-conference and all-region teams. Jentri Worley garnered third-team all-conference honors and the duo helped the Pacers reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Miller.

Early in the season, USC Aiken knocked off Catawba, who eventually played in the NCAA Championship, as well as PBC foe Clayton State in back-to-back games. They did so in similar fashion – yet drastically different. Worley hit a three-point shot at the buzzer to upend the Indians 68-67 in overtime. Three days later, she hit a half-court shot to defeat the Lakers in the PBC opener by a score of 71-70.

Even though the team made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a while, arguably the top moment came from sweeping ever-tough North Georgia during the regular season, helping secure the at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

At UNG on Jan. 28, the Pacers bested the No. 19 Nighthawks 77-74. Behind 23 points from Emily Trushel, 20 from Worley and 15 from rookie Hailey Unger, the squad jumped out to a 59-47 lead after three quarters and secured the three-point victory. The team shot 50.8 percent from the floor in the game, including a hefty 58.3 percent from downtown. Miller's team controlled the paint, netting 32 points and accounted for 18 second-chance points.

In the home win over UNG, USC Aiken found itself trailing 24-18 at the break but a 19-13 third quarter knotted the score. Down by one with 5:18 to play, Emily Trushel hit two free throws. Up 47-46, Worley found Emily Trushel for a three-ball and a four-point edge, 50-46. Annalise Malone made two charity tosses, but UNG cut the margin to just two with four seconds to play. After a timeout, Malone delivered a pair of free throws for the four-point victory.

USC Aiken had several games that came down to the wire. All in all, the team provided a look at how hard work pays off. Whether the squad was up by several or down by a handful of points, they continued to push hard and thrive each and every contest.