AIKEN, S.C. – The No. 11 USCA men's basketball team lost a hard-fought 100-94 contest to Claflin Saturday afternoon.

The Pacers are now 4-2 on the season.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Rhyjon Blackwell's career-high and game-best 25 points. He added six boards and four assists. Davion Cunningham netted 21 points, grabbed seven boards to go along with four assists. Rafael Rubel tallied 16 points and three assists while Jalen McCoy posted 13 points, six boards and three assists. Kaleb Siler notched a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds to go along with a block.

Tied at 9-9, Blackwell drained a three-point bucket at the 14:50 mark. Twenty seconds later, Cunningham found Rubel for another shot from distance, increasing the margin to six, 15-9. Leading 19-18, Blackwell found Cunningham for a shot from downtown before McCoy hit a jumper at the 10:29 mark.

USCA extended the margin to seven after a quick 5-0 spurt. Dwight Canady, Jr., hit two free throws and Rubel drilled a basket from behind the arc with 8:04 to go. Claflin held a 36-34 lead before McCoy, Rubel and Siler hit shots for a 40-36 advantage. Blackwell's basket pushed the lead to six, 42-36, at the 1:44 mark. Vanderslice's team held a 44-40 margin at the break.

Leading 52-50, Blackwell buried a three-ball at the 17:40 mark. He drilled another shot from distance off a pass from Rubel at the 17:12 mark for a 58-52 advantage. The Panthers clawed back into the game, tying it at 58-58 with 16:34 to play.

Claflin extended the advantage to 10, 80-70, before Siler nailed an old-fashioned three-point play. Down 88-77, Blackwell canned a jumper. Siler tipped in a shot before Blackwell made two free throws, cutting the deficit to 88-84 with 3:10 remaining. The Panthers increased the advantage to eight, 92-84, with 2:23 to go.

Vanderslice's team trimmed the deficit to four, 98-89, on two charity tosses from Cunningham with 39 seconds to go. However, that was as close as the squad could get the rest of the way.

For the game, USCA hit 30-of-69 from the floor, including 12-of-30 from downtown. The team connected on 22-of-31 from the charity stripe. The Pacers held a 43-31 edge on the glass, including a 21-8 margin on the offensive boards. Vanderslice's team scored 18 second-chance points and maintained a 21-17 edge on the break.

The Pacers return to action Tuesday when they host Livingstone at 7:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.