MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The USCA men's basketball team dropped an 87-76 contest at Georgia College Wednesday evening.

The Pacers are now 11-12 on the season, including 6-9 in PBC play.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's squad was paced by Jonah Lawrence's 18 points, seven assists and four steals. He also grabbed six rebounds. McCaskill Rivers tallied 17 points while Caleb Byrd netted 16 points.

William Vasser Jr., totaled nine points. Josiah Harding added five points while Chedlet Delva and Jackson Roberts totaled four points apiece. Delva grabbed eight boards and blocked three shots. TJ Jackson added three points while Deandre Smart grabbed two rebounds.

Harding opened the scoring with a three-ball. Rivers followed it with another shot from distance before Lawrence hit two free throws for a quick 8-0 lead. Leading 20-18, Roberts found Vasser Jr., for another shot from deep for a five-point margin.

Up 23-20, Jackson and Vasser Jr., canned back-to-back three-point buckets, extending the advantage to nine, 29-20. Holding a 34-32 lead, Lawrence found Harding for a lay-up at the 6:14 mark. Neither team scored for over three minutes. Then, Lawrence found Rivers for a bucket. Byrd's jumper pushed the margin to eight, 40-32. Vanderslice's squad held a 42-37 advantage at the break.

Down 44-42, Delva found Byrd for a three-ball. The Bobcats continued to hold a slim lead, but Vanderslice's squad continued to make it a one-point game on numerous occasions. Lawrence nailed two free throws, making it 52-51. Trailing 55-51, Vasser Jr., canned a three-point shot off a pass from Lawrence.

With the score at 61-54, Byrd connected on a three-point play. Lawrence and Rivers hit inside shots, knotting the score at 61-61at the 9:40 mark. A turnaround jumper by Rivers and an ensuing charity toss by him pulled the Pacers within three, 70-67, with 6:06 remaining. GCSU held a 74-69 lead, but Lawrence found Delva for a thunderous dunk.

The Bobcats stretched the margin to 10, but Lawrence drove the length of the court and nailed a jumper in the lane with 1:26 to go. However, GCSU would not let USCA get any closer.  

For the game, USCA hit 27-of-67 from the floor, including 10-of-27 from the three-point line. The Pacers hit 12-of-18 from the charity stripe. USCA grabbed 34 rebounds, including 17 on the offensive glass. Vanderslice's team dished out 11 assists and scored 13 points off 13 turnovers. The team scored 30 points in the paint and totaled 20 second-chance points.

The Pacers return to action Saturday when they host Augusta at 3:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.