AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 56-55 game to USC Beaufort Wednesday evening.

The Pacers are now 4-21 on the season, including 0-15 in PBC play.

Head coach Mark Miller's team was led by the tandem of Destiny Harman and Jentri Worley as each tallied 13 points. Worley totaled nine boards and six assists in the loss. Sami Bardonaro accounted for nine points while Marta Rivera added eight points.

USC Aiken took an early 3-2 lead on a charity shot by Worley. Although the Sand Sharks gained a 6-3 lead, Harman tied the game on a three-ball off a pass from Worley at the 5:05 mark. Trailing by three, 10-7, Worley found Rivera for a lay-up at the 1:52 mark. USCB held a 17-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Down by 10, Sami Bardonaro nailed a three-point bucket off a pass from Worley at the 7:31 mark. USC Aiken sliced the deficit to five on a runner by Worley but the visitors built a nine-point lead at the 4:54 mark. Moments later, Rhiannon Saller's jumper in the lane cut the deficit to six, 29-23, but the Sand Sharks maintained a 35-25 edge at the break.

Miller's team trailed by 14 at the 7:18 mark but embarked on an 11-0 spurt over the next 3:17, cutting the margin to three on a lay-up by Harman. During the run, Bardonaro got things going with a three-ball. After a jumper by Malone, Rivera nailed a basket. Malone cut the deficit to five before Harman made it a one-possession game. Trailing by six, 42-36, Worley hit a shot from the floor. Moments later, she nailed a shot from distance. Bardonaro's three-point shot gave USC Aiken a 44-42 edge but the visitors took a 45-44 lead at the end of the quarter.

The nip-and-tuck affair saw USCB hold a 56-50 lead with 95 seconds to play but Rivera nailed a jumper. A three-point shot from Harman off a pass from Worley trimmed the deficit to just one with 43 ticks remaining. A tremendous defensive stand by USC Aiken gave the home team the ball back with 10 seconds to play. After a time-out, Worley had the ball at the top of the key and promptly got past her defender. From 12 feet out on the wing, Worley's jumper narrowly missed as time expired.

For the game, USC Aiken hit 22-of-64 from the floor (34.4 percent), including eight-of-20 (40 percent) from the three-point line. Miller's team converted 22 turnovers into 25 points. USC Aiken held a 10-6 edge in second-chance points. The home team also garnered 19 points off the bench.

The Pacers return to action Saturday when they host Clayton State for Homecoming starting at 1:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.