AIKEN, S.C. – The USCA men's basketball team picked up a hard fought 81-71 win over USC Beaufort Monday evening.

The Pacers are now 17-7 overall, including 10-4 in PBC play.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Jalen McCoy's game-high 32 points to go along with six assists. 

Davion Cunningham added a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Mason Grant totaled 12 points. Simeon German accounted for nine points and 17 rebounds. Rafael Rubel and Rhyjon Blackwell totaled five points apiece. Rubel had a game-high three steals. 

USCA started out hot, scoring 10 of the first 12 points of the game. McCoy got things going with a pair of free throws. Tied at 2-2, McCoy hit a shot in the lane off a pass from Rubel. German canned a jumper and Rubel hit a charity toss. An old-fashioned three-point play by McCoy pushed the score to 10-2 just 1:40 into the game.

Leading 12-7, German nailed a shot in the lane. Grant buried an inside bucket before Cunningham connected in the lane for an 18-7 margin at the 14:41 mark. Up 18-10, Grant pushed the margin back to double digits with free throws at the 12:48 mark.

The Sand Sharks cut the deficit to seven with 9:49 to go, but McCoy answered with four consecutive points. A tip-in by Chedlet Delva extended the margin to 13, 29-16. USCB managed to trim the deficit to four with a three-point shot at the buzzer. The teams entered intermission with the score 38-34 in favor of the Pacers.

USCB made it a two-point game just 10 seconds into the frame, but the Pacers embarked on an 8-0 spurt. A Grant jumper pushed the score to 46-36 at the 16:00 mark. Vanderslice's team held a one-point advantage before Grant answered with a pair of jumpers. Blackwell's three-point bucket extended the margin to eight, 55-47. 

After a 9-0 run by the Sand Sharks, the Pacers answered with four consecutive points – two by McCoy and two by Cunningham. USCA slowly built the lead back to 10 points with just 3:23 to play. Holding a seven-point cushion, McCoy hit a jumper. Leading by eight, German made a basket. Cunningham sealed the game with three free throws down the stretch.

For the game, USCA hit 30-of-70 (42.9 percent) from the floor. The team hit 20-of-27 (74.1 percent) from the charity stripe. Vanderslice's team scored 54 points in the paint and accounted for 18 second-chance points. 

The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they play at USC Beaufort at 7:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.