AIKEN, S.C. – The USCA men's basketball team picked up a 71-68 victory over Georgia College & State University Saturday afternoon.

The Pacers are now 8-4 overall, including 1-1 in PBC play.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Rhyjon Blackwell's 27-point, seven-rebound, three-steal performance that sparked a second-half comeback for the win. The 27 points marked a career high for Blackwell. Simeon German narrowly missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. He also swatted three shots. Jalen McCoy added 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks while Davion Cunningham nearly had a double-double with 10 points and nine boards. 

Dwight Canady, Jr., added five points while Cam Perkins, Mason Grant and Kaleb Siler had two points apiece. Grant also had a pair of blocks while Siler snagged four boards. 

Trailing 13-4, McCoy hit a free throw and German connected on a lay-up at the 14:17 mark. Down 15-7, McCoy hit a pair of charity tosses before Cunningham drilled a jumper. A three-ball from Blackwell off a pass from Perkins pulled the Pacers within one at 15-14 with 12:00 to play.

GCSU held a 21-14 lead before Blackwell and German hit two foul shots apiece. The Bobcats managed to take a 30-19 lead before Canady, Jr., netted a shot from distance off a pass from McCoy at the 3:14 mark. Two free throws by Blackwell made it 30-24 before the visitors scored two more points before the break for a 32-24 lead.

Trailing 42-31 with 14:19 to go, Vanderslice's team whittled away at the deficit. Cunningham found Blackwell for a three-ball. Grant hit Blackwell for another shot from distance to make it 42-37. An emphatic dunk by Cunningham brought the Pacers within four, 43-39. 

Down 45-41, Grant and Siler hit shots, knotting the score at the 10:09 mark. Blackwell netted five straight points for a 50-45 edge. USCA maintained the lead until the visitors knotted the score at 55-55 with 5:18 to play.

The tightly-contested contest saw both teams take slight leads, with GCSU holding a 62-61 edge at the 3:08 mark. 

Down 65-61, Blackwell hit two charity tosses with 1:36 to play. A jumper by McCoy knotted the score at 65-65. 

After securing a rebound, German was fouled and he calmly hit two free throws. Another rebound, this time from Blackwell, resulted in a foul by GCSU. Blackwell drained two charity tosses to go up 69-65. 

Leading 70-65, USCA saw the visitors hit a three-ball with two seconds to go. Blackwell was fouled on the ensuing possession and made a free throw, securing the three-point win as the Bobcats could not get a shot off, ending the game. 

For the game, USCA hit 19-of-67 from the floor. The squad hit five three-point shots and buried 28-of-37 from the charity stripe. The team scored 18 points in the paint and secured 21 second-chance points. 

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