AIKEN, S.C. – The USCA women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 70-57 contest to No. 19 Columbus State Wednesday evening.

The Pacers are now 3-11 overall, including 0-6 in PBC play.

Head coach Brittany Batts' team was paced by Morgan McDermott's game-high 16 points. Ioanna Stefanaki tallied 13 points while Mackenna Nix added 11 points and eight rebounds. Destiny Harman accounted for nine points and two steals while Zenia Palaska posted four points while Nika Kurdija had three. Mahkayla Premo chipped in one.

Monique Emelifeonwu pulled down seven rebounds, dished out a game-high four assists and swatted three shots. Palaska garnered six rebounds while Premo distributed four assists to go along with three steals.  

Trailing 12-4, Nix connected on back-to-back shots. Palaska's basket pulled the team within two, 12-10. Down 17-13, Premo found Stefanaki for a three-ball. On the ensuing possession, Stefanaki hit Harman for a three-ball, giving USCA a 19-17 edge. Harman's lay-up and two free throws by Premo gave the Pacers a 22-20 edge.

With the score at 32-25, Palaska hit a jumper. Stefanaki found Harman for an inside shot. With 3:55 to play, Premo hit Stefanaki for a shot from distance, knotting the score at 32-32. Harman took a long pass from Stefanaki, giving the Pacers a 34-32 lead. However, the Cougars maintained a 44-36 advantage at the break.  

McDermott tallied an old-fashioned three-point play to open the third period, bringing the team within five at 44-39. A free throw by Nix and a shot from Stefanaki made it 48-43 at the 5:38 mark. However, the Cougars led 56-46 entering the final quarter.

Batts' team held the Cougars at bay for much of the final stanza, but the team was unable to slice into the deficit. McDermott's three-ball at the 7:25 mark pulled the team within seven, 59-52, but that was as close as they cold get the rest of the way.

For the game, USCA hit 21-of-56 from the floor, including seven-of-20 from the three-point line. The squad snagged 40 rebounds, including 14 on the offensive end. The team scored 26 points in the paint and registered 12 second-chance points. USCA had 21 points on the break.

The Pacers return to action Saturday when they host Georgia College at 1:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.