GREENWOOD, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team lost the PBC opener 63-59 at Lander Wednesday evening.

The Pacers are now 4-7 on the season, including 0-1 in league play. The Bearcats improve to 8-3 overall and 1-0 against conference competition.

Head coach Mark Miller's team was led by Rhiannon Saller's 14-point performance. She added six rebounds. Hailey Unger tallied 12 points while Marta Rivera chipped in 10 points on five-of-seven shooting to go along with six boards.

Jaya Nelson accounted for nine markers while Kelsie Woodard and Jentri Worley had six points apiece and five rebounds each. Paris Webster tallied five assists and two steals to go along with two points.

Trailing 4-0 just two minutes in, Webster found Saller for a lay-up. When Unger hit Rivera for a jumper a minute later, the teams were tied at 4-4. Down 6-4, Webster connected with Woodard to once again knot the score. Rivera fed the ball to Woodard for a two-point edge at the 3:56 mark. Nelson gave the visitors a 10-6 lead but the Bearcats netted the final five points of the first quarter for an 11-10 advantage.

The contest was a back-and-forth affair as Saller was credited with an assist off a lay-up by Rivera for a 16-14 margin at the 8:02 mark. A pair of free throws by Nelson pushed the score to 20-16 with 4:36 to go before halftime. Nelson stepped behind the three-point stripe and canned a shot from downtown, tying the game at 23-23 off a pass from Webster. Rivera's eighth point of the night tied the contest at 25-25 off a pass from Sami Bardonaro but Lander took a 27-25 lead into intermission.

Trailing 30-25, Saller converted an old-fashioned three-point play at the 8:40 mark. Less than a minute later, Worley hit a charity toss. Webster's first basket propelled the Pacers in front, 31-30. Rivera and Saller each hit shots for a 35-33 edge, but Lander went on a 7-0 spurt. Nelson found Unger for a three-ball, stopping the run while making it 40-38. Down 44-38, Worley hit a clutch three-point bucket. Unger's lay-up made it 44-43 but Lander held a 47-43 lead going into the fourth frame.

Nelson hit two free throws and Saller made one with 8:22 to play to make it 49-46. Saller netted four points in a 43-second span to pull the visitors within three at 53-50. Down by four, Webster's pass found the hands of Unger, who buried a shot from downtown with 4:58 to play. Saller stepped to the free throw line and hit two shots for a 55-54 lead with 3:44 to go.

Up 57-56, Worley drilled a jumper with 2:19 to play but the Bearcats tied the game at 59-59 at the 1:55 mark. Lander maintained a 61-59 lead and USC Aiken missed a shot in the lane with less than 30 seconds to play.

The Bearcats held the ball and Miller's team was forced to foul. Once Lander got into the bonus, the home team missed a pair of free throws. USC Aiken got the ball into the post, but a turnover forced the visitors into another foul with six ticks remaining. Lander hit a pair of free throws for the final margin.  

For the game, USC Aiken hit 23-of-60 (38.3 percent) from the floor. The squad hit nine-of-15 (60.0 percent) from the charity stripe. Miller's team held a 37-35 edge on the glass, including a 15-13 margin on the offensive side. The Pacers distributed 15 assists and held a slight 7-6 edge on the break. USC Aiken controlled the paint, outscoring the Bearcats 34-20.

The Pacers return to action Saturday when they play at Georgia College & State at 1:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.