AIKEN, S.C. – The USCA men's basketball team lost a 72-62 decision Columbus State Saturday evening.
The Pacers are now 16-7 on the season, including 9-4 in PBC play.
Head coach
Mark Vanderslice's team was led by a pair of 15-point performances from
Davion Cunningham and
Jalen McCoy.
Simeon German added a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Mason Grant tallied eight points while
Rafael Rubel chipped in seven points, five steals and four assists.
Trailing 6-5, McCoy and Cunningham hit shots, giving the home team a 9-6 edge. A three-ball from Cunningham off a pass from
Cam Perkins made it 12-8 at the 14:51 mark. Down 17-12,
Rhyjon Blackwell found McCoy for an inside shot. A lay-up by Cunningham after a steal from Byrd pulled the team within one, 17-16.
Down 21-18, Grant pounded his way past two defenders for a bucket. German followed it with a tremendous dunk, giving Vanderslice's team a 22-21 edge. Rubel's jumper with 6:46 to go forced a time-out. USCA continued the offensive showcase, pushing the advantage to eight, 30-22, on a lay-up by German at the 2:55 mark. CSU pulled within one before intermission as the score stood at 30-29 entering the second half.
Trailing by 10, Rubel and McCoy hit shots, pulling the team within six with 11:17 to go. Rubel found McCoy in the lane for a. basket, slicing the deficit to four. A steal by Rubel led to a basket by Cunningham at the 8:59 mark, propelling the Pacers to a 49-48 advantage.
A 10-2 spurt by the visitors made it 58-51 with 6:40 to play. The Pacers cut it to five, 58-53, on a jumper by Byrd, but that was as close as the team could get the rest of the way.
For the game, USCA hit 28-of-64 (43.8 percent) from the floor. The squad canned two three-point buckets and four charity tosses. The Pacers pulled down 34 rebounds, including 13 on the offensive glass. USCA scored 46 points in the paint and had 12 second-chance points.
The Pacers return to action Monday when they host USC Beaufort at 7:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.
