AIKEN, S.C. – The USCA men's basketball team knocked off Augusta 85-76 Saturday evening while Jalen McCoy became the program's Division II career leader for points.

The Pacers are now 15-6 overall, including 8-3 in PBC play.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by McCoy's game-high 33 points on 13-of-18 shooting. He also grabbed seven rebounds and had a pair of steals. Rhyjon Blackwell netted 24 points.

Davion Cunningham and Simeon German posted seven points apiece. German grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked four shots.

Dwight Canady, Jr., and Cam Perkins had five points apiece while Caleb Byrd netted four points.

Trailing 6-2, German started a run with a lay-up. McCoy converted on a pair of baskets for an 8-6 lead. Three-point shots from Blackwell and Byrd pushed the margin to six, 14-8. Up 19-14, Blackwell converted an old-fashioned three-point play. McCoy drilled a lay-up at the 9:19 mark for a 24-14 edge.

With the score at 27-26, Blackwell found McCoy for an inside shot. The back-and-forth affair saw the teams trade baskets. German gave Vanderslice's team a 33-32 lead with 2:05 to go.

Down 34-33, Perkins found McCoy for a lay-up. Trailing 38-35, USCA missed a shot. AU got the rebound, but McCoy stole the ball, snagged it and promptly laid it up and in. He absorbed contact and made the free throw, tying the game at 38-38 with five seconds to play in the half.  

A 9-0 spurt to start the second period put Vanderslice's team in front and the squad never looked back. McCoy had five points during the run while German and Cunningham each had two.

Up 59-51, Blackwell found the bottom of the net from deep. McCoy added a three-point play, breaking the school's Division II career points mark on the field goal. His bucket surpassed USCA standout Tehree Horn's mark of 1,550 points.

Leading 69-58, Byrd hit a free throw and Blackwell canned two charity tosses with 7:28 to go. AU pulled within 10 at the 4:07 mark, 77-67, but the Pacers did not allow the home team to get any closer until the final points of the game.

For the game, Vanderslice's team hit 30-of-66 (45.5 percent) from the floor, including seven-of-16 (43.8 percent) from downtown. The squad buried 18-of-25 (72.0 percent) from the free throw line. The Pacers pulled down 35 rebounds, including 16 on the offensive glass. The team dished out seven assists and netted 16 points on the break. USCA tallied 15 points off turnovers.

The Pacers return to action Wednesday, Feb. 12, when they play at Georgia Southwestern at 7:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.