GREENWOOD, S.C. – The No. 21 University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team lost an 84-76 contest at Lander Wednesday evening in the PBC opener.

The Pacers are now 9-2 on the season and 0-1 in league play. The Bearcats stand at 9-2 on the year and 1-0 against conference competition.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Tehree Horn's 23-point effort on nine-of-14 shooting from the floor, including three-of-four from downtown. Jalen McCoy hit eight-of-12 for 18 points to go along with seven rebounds. Tyler Johnson added 17 points, five boards and three steals while Jameel Rideout totaled 10 points.

Simeon German accounted for five rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Trailing 6-0 in the early going, Rideout buried three free throws and McCoy converted a lay-up at the 17:08 mark to make it a one-point game. Lander slowly built a double-digit lead, but Vanderslice's team trimmed the margin to single digits late in the first half.

Down 31-21, Horn buried a three-ball, marking the team's lone three-point shot up to that point. However, the Bearcats stretched the advantage to 41-27 before McCoy's jumper just before halftime pulled the visitors within 12 at 41-29.

LU scored the first six points of the second period before Horn quieted the crowd with five straight points. The Bearcats managed to keep the Pacers at bay as the teams traded three-point buckets late in the game. However, Vanderslice's team continued to battle.

With the score at 73-61, Horn hit a free throw. Johnson stepped to the charity stripe and canned two free throws at the 2:13 mark, slicing the deficit to nine, 73-64.

Lander led 78-66 but Johnson was fouled while shooting a three-pointer and calmly buried all three attempts. With 28 seconds to play, Horn found Rideout for a three-point bucket, cutting the margin to six, 78-72. The Bearcats made four free throws down the stretch, pushing the score to 82-72.

Horn hit a jumper with seven seconds to play before LU hit two more free throws for the final tally.   

For the game, USC Aiken made 27-of-71 from the floor (38.0 percent), including nine three-point baskets. Vanderslice's team held a 16-10 edge on the offensive glass, which helped the team have a 14-11 advantage in second-chance points. The Pacers maintained an 11-9 margin on the break and had eight steals. USC Aiken's defense forced 15 turnovers and converted them into 23 points.

The Pacers return to action Saturday when they play at Georgia College & State at 3:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.