DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The No. 23 University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team outscored No. 15 North Georgia 9-4 down the stretch for the 70-65 victory Wednesday evening.

The Pacers are now 22-5 overall, including 13-4 in the PBC. The victory moves USC Aiken into sole possession of first place in the conference with one regular-season game remaining.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Tyler Johnson's game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds. He added five assists in the win. Tehree Horn netted 13 points while Demitrios Dixon accounted for 11 points. Jalen McCoy made his return to the lineup and garnered eight points and snagged five boards in 22 minutes of work.  

Trailing 10-2 early, Horn buried a jumper at the 15:18 mark. Johnson found Dixon for a three-ball with 13:45 to play. Dixon and Devin Evans each hit a free throw before Jalen McCoy found Horn for a deep three-point bucket, giving the Pacers a 12-10 edge. McCoy hit a free throw and Rhyjon Blackwell nailed a three-point shot off a pass from Horn for a 16-10 advantage.

Trailing 22-21, Dixon hit McCoy for a jumper with 6:21 to play. Down 27-25, McCoy nailed a shot in the lane. Dixon hit Rideout for a shot from behind the arc for a 30-27 lead, but the Nighthawks scored the final three points of the half to knot the score at intermission, 30-30.

USC Aiken opened the second period on an 11-4 spurt. Up 36-34, Johnson netted the next five points, including a three-ball. Leading 47-43, Dixon converted a lay-up. Johnson found Blackwell for a shot from distance before Johnson extended the advantage to 11, 54-43, on a lay-up.  

Tied at 61-61 with under four minutes to play, McCoy hit a free throw. At the 3:04 mark, Johnson added a jumper for a three-point lead. McCoy's lay-up off a pass from Johnson extended the margin to five at the 2:19 mark.

UNG netted the next four points, but Johnson answered the call with a 17-foot jumper. On the ensuing defensive possession, McCoy registered a steal. Simeon German was fouled with 24 seconds to go and he calmly netted his first two points of the night at the charity stripe for the final tally.

For the game, USC Aiken hit 24-of-56 (42.9 percent) from the floor, including 11-of-23 (47.8 percent) from the three-point stripe. Vanderslice's team dished out 12 assists in the win.

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