COLUMBUS, Ga. – Second-seeded USCA defeated fourth-seeded USC Beaufort Sunday afternoon 92-76 in the PBC Tournament Championship.

The Pacers are now 23-8 on the season.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was guided by Jalen McCoy's 22-point, eight-rebound performance. Davion Cunningham tallied 20 points and seven rebounds while Rafael Rubel added 15 points and three assists.

Rhyjon Blackwell posted nine points while Simeon German accounted for seven points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Cam Perkins chipped in six points while Caleb Byrd and Mason Grant had five points apiece. Dwight Canady, Jr., had three points while Chedlet Delva snagged three boards in the win.

Down 7-2, Blackwell netted the next five points. Trailing 9-7, McCoy tied the game on a hook shot. German hit a free throw and Grant made an inside shot for a three-point margin at the 14:39 mark.

USC Beaufort led 25-22, but Rubel drained a step-back jumper in the lane to make it a one-point game. McCoy hit a pair of charity tosses at the 10:31 mark for a 26-25 lead. Holding a 31-29 advantage, Blackwell started a run with a jumper. McCoy converted a lay-up at the 5:58 mark for a 36-29 lead. McCoy added another bucket a minute later, extending the advantage to nine, 38-29.

The Sand Sharks pulled within five with 55 ticks remaining in the half, but Rubel hit a pair of free throws for a 43-36 margin at the break.

USCB closed the gap early in the second half, but McCoy hit two charity tosses to make it 47-42. Tied at 49-49, McCoy recorded another three-point play for a three-point lead.

Byrd made a lay-up and Perkins netted the next five points for a 59-51 advantage at the 11:31 mark. After the designated visitors tied it at 59-59, Cunningham found Rubel for a three-ball. A hook shot by McCoy pushed the advantage to five, 64-59.

A quick 5-0 spurt extended the margin to seven with 5:38 to go. Leading 71-66, Cunningham started another run for Vanderslice's team. He hit a shot before Rubel canned two free throws with 4:33 to play. USCA made it a 10-point game on the first of two free throws by Cunningham at the 4:23 mark. The Pacers extended the lead to 15 with 3:29 on the clock.

USCA would not allow the visitors to get within double digits the rest of the way, sealing the title.

For the game, USCA hit 31-of-65 (47.7 percent) from the floor, including four-of-12 (33.3 percent) from downtown. The team canned 26-of-39 (66.7 percent) from the charity stripe. Vanderslice's team held a 47-39 edge on the glass. USCA tallied 16 points off 11 turnovers and controlled the paint by a 48-30 margin.  

For their effort, McCoy was named Tournament MVP while Cunningham was named to the all-tournament team.

The tournament title marked the first for the program since the 2013-14 campaign.

The Pacers await the NCAA Selection show tonight at 11 p.m.

All-Tournament Team
Jarrett Adderton, Columbus State
Davion Cunningham, USC Aiken
Kenney Gains, USC Beaufort
Dominic Eason, USC Beaufort
AJ White, North Georgia 

Tournament MVP
Jalen McCoy, USC Aiken