COLUMBUS, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team shot 52.2 percent from the floor in the 88-64 win at Columbus State Saturday.

The Pacers are now 19-5 overall, including 10-4 in league play.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Tyler Johnson's 24-point, 10-rebound double-double effort. Tehree Horn added 21 points and three boards while Simeon German notched 15 points, six boards and two blocks. Rhyjon Blackwell added 10 points and three assists. Demitrios Dixon had eight points while Devin Evans contributed six points and seven rebounds. Jameel Rideout totaled four points and three assists.

USC Aiken jumped out to a 7-2 lead after a lay-up by Johnson. Trailing 13-11, Johnson converted another lay-up and a Evans' free throw gave the Pacers a 14-13 advantage at the 8:35 mark. 

The back-and-forth affair saw the Cougars take a 29-23 lead but Johnson quickly countered with a lay-up. He found Dixon on the wing for a jumper, cutting the deficit to just two, 29-27, at the 2:49 mark. Trailing 32-27, Johnson buried a three-ball. Horn sliced past his defender for a lay-up, knotting the score. An old-fashioned three-point play by Dixon gave the visitors a 35-32 lead heading into the second half. 

Tied at 43-43, Johnson gave the visitors the lead with a jumper. With 15:27 to play, Evans drilled a three-ball off a pass from Rideout. 

Leading by six, 59-53, with 8:50 to play, Dixon connected with Blackwell for a three-ball. Dixon's two charity tosses with 8;14 to play pushed the margin to double figures at 64-53. The Pacers ended the 8-0 spurt on Johnson's lay-up at the 7:55 mark.

A pair of free throws by the Cougars made it a 12-point contest with 6:13 to go but Horn buried an inside shot. On the ensuing possession, he found German for a lay-up to go ahead by 16. Johnson connected with Horn for a three-point bucket, making it a 79-59 contest with 4:17 to play and the Pacers never looked back. 

For the game, USC Aiken hit 35-of-67 (52.2 percent) from the floor, including seven-of-21 (33.3 percent) from downtown. The squad canned 11-of-13 (84.6 percent) from the free throw line. Additionally, the Pacers maintained a 38-29 edge on the glass. The team recorded 42 points in the paint and converted 13 turnovers into 14 points.

The Pacers return to action Wednesday, Feb. 21 when they host USC Beaufort at 7:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.