AIKEN, S.C. – The USCA women's basketball team lost a 66-61 contest to Clayton State Saturday afternoon.

The Pacers are now 3-14 on the year including 0-7 in conference play.

Head coach Mark Miller's team was led by Rhiannon Saller's 16-point effort. She added nine rebounds to match Serena Baker's nine-board and eight-point contest. Sami Bardonaro also scored in double digits with 14 while also adding five rebounds. Bardonaro shot four-of-eight from behind the arc.

Down nine in the early going, Saller took a pass from Paris Webster and hit a lay-up. Riley Simmons canned a three-ball to make it 12-7. Moments later, Saller hit a jumper and Bardonaro drained a three-ball. Webster's field goal knotted the game at 14-14 with 5:30 to play in the first quarter. Bardonaro hit a three-point basket and Gracie Huffard converted a lay-up for a 19-14 edge with 3:54 to play in the frame. Tied at 21-21, Bardonaro buried a shot from distance before Webster's floater pushed the margin to 26-21 heading into the second quarter.

The game was tied a twice in the second stanza. With the score at 37-37, Webster hit a pair of free throws at the 3:48 mark. Leading 39-38, Saller took a pass from Bardonaro and nailed a jumper. Saller's lay-up off a sensational pass by Simmons made it 43-38. A field goal by Kendall Parker extended the advantage to 45-38. The Pacers held a 47-41 lead at intermission.
 
USCA opened the second half with a jumper by Saller to extend their lead to eight at the 8:07 mark. Over the next six minutes, the opponents chipped away at the Pacers' margin, eventually tying the game at 49-49 with 1:57 left in the quarter.
 
Saller broke the tie with a pair of free throws. Baker extended the advantage to four with a layup, but the visitors pulled within two at the end of the stanza.
 
The game saw the Lakers tie the contest to open the final frame at the 9:06 mark. USCA regained the lead with a jumper by Baker to make it 55-53. A free throw by the visitors reduced the Pacers' lead to one and a lay-up put the Lakers up by one. The Pacers continued to fight until the buzzer but were unable to pull off the comeback.

For the game, Webster and Simmons scored eight points each, while Parker added five and Huffard contributed two. As a team, the Pacers snagged 36 rebounds with 25 on the defensive side. The squad hit 20-of-51 from the floor, including six-of-17 from downtown. USCA outscored the Lakers 24-18 in the paint.

The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they play at nationally ranked North Georgia at 5:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.