FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. – The USCA women's basketball team lost a 71-68 overtime decision at Emmanuel Wednesday evening.

The Pacers are now 1-2 on the season.

Head coach Brittany Batts' team was led by Mackenna Nix's 16-point, 11-rebound effort. Monique Emelifeonwu added 13 points and three blocks to go along with three steals. Ioanna Stefanaki tallied 12 points and eight assists while Mahkayla Premo chipped in eight points. Morgan McDermott added seven markers.

Leading 5-4 in the early going, Stefanaki drained a three-ball off a pass from Riley Miller. Stefanaki hit Miller with 2:52 to play in the frame for a lay-up. After a pair of free throws by Morgan McDermott, the Lions found a basket. Mackenna Nix converted a shot from downtown for an eight-point cushion. Zenia Palaska hit an inside shot at the buzzer for a 16-8 edge going into the second period.

Leading 19-13, Monique Emelifeonwu nailed a three-point shot off a pass from Stefanaki. Up 23-16, Nix canned a three-ball. She netted three more points, and McDermott hit a twisting lay-up for a 15-point cushion, 31-16, at the 4:53 mark. A lay-up by Palaska and a three-ball from Stefanaki extended the advantage to 37-17 before Batts' team took a 39-26 lead into halftime.

Holding a 42-35 lead, Emelifeonwu scored on a shot in the lane. Nix canned two charity tosses for an 11-point margin. Emelifeonwu connected on another shot from distance off a pass from Stefanaki, making it 49-38 at the 4:13 mark of the third stanza. Stefanaki found Nika Kurdija for a three-point bucket with 45 ticks on the clock, extending the lead to five, 52-47. 

The Lions managed to knot the game at 60-60 with 2:12 to play in regulation, but USCA had a chance to win. However, the Pacers missed a last-second shot, sending the game into overtime.

Mahkayla Premo opened the scoring in the extra session with a three-ball just 17 seconds in. Trailing 67-64, McDermott converted a lay-up off a pass from Stefanaki. The teams traded two free throws each and USCA made it a 69-68 game with seven seconds left. The Lions hit two free throws after a foul with six seconds remaining. USCA had a chance to tie it, but the three-point attempt was no good.

For the game, USCA hit 23-of-66 from the floor, including nine-of-28 from downtown. The squad buried 13-of-17 from the charity stripe. Batt's squad held a 37-30 edge on the glass, including an 11-4 margin on the offensive boards.

The Pacers had 13 steals and converted 21 turnovers into 18 points. USCA had seven second-chance points.

The Pacers return to action Saturday when they play at Winston-Salem State at 2 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.