AMERICUS, Ga. – The USCA men's basketball team fought off Georgia Southwestern down the stretch for an 80-73 victory Wednesday evening.

The Pacers are now 16-6 on the year, including 9-3 in PBC play.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Davion Cunningham's 17 points. Rhyjon Blackwell added 15 points and three steals while Simeon German accounted for 11 points. Jalen McCoy had 10 points and seven rebounds. Caleb Byrd tallied nine points – all of which occurred on three-point buckets. Cam Perkins chipped in eight while Rafael Rubel totaled six points, four assists and two steals. Mason Grant tallied four points and seven rebounds.

Tied at 9-9, Cunningham found Perkins for a three-point bucket at the 14:46 mark. Tied at 14-14, Perkins hit another shot from distance. The tightly contested contest saw the Pacers snag a 19-16 edge when Grant converted a lay-up.

After a 4-0 spurt by the Hurricanes, Rubel found McCoy for a lay-up. Rubel recorded a steal, and Byrd buried a three-point bucket. Seconds later, Dwight Canady, Jr., had a steal and it led to a McCoy field goal for a quick 7-0 spurt.

Holding a 35-32 edge with 3:20 to go, Cunningham sliced through the defense for a lay-up. A minute later, Blackwell made an inside shot for a 39-32 advantage. Neither team would score the rest of the half.

A pair of free throws by McCoy extended the margin to 11, 43-32, at the 19:11 mark. Holding a 46-36 lead, Simeon German tipped in a miss by Perkins with 14:51 to go. After assisting on a dunk by Mason, Byrd nailed a shot from distance, giving USCA a 57-38 lead with 11:58 remaining.  Cunningham pushed the margin to 21 with just over 11 minutes to play.

Leading 62-50 at the 6:56 mark, Cunningham connected on a jumper. He hit a free throw to go up 65-55 with 4:12 to go. Vanderslice's team maintained a 65-60 edge before Blackwell canned a three-ball at the 3:01 mark.

GSW pulled within three, but USCA hit its free throws down the stretch, securing the victory.  

For the game, Vanderslice's squad hit 29-of-62 (46.8 percent) from the floor, including a sizzling 10-of-23 (43.5 percent) from the three-point arc. The Pacers hit 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) from the free throw line. USCA pulled down 28 rebounds and had nine steals. The visitors accounted for 28 points in the paint.

The Pacers return to action Saturday when they host Columbus State at 3:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.