COLUMBUS, Ga. – The USCA men's basketball team lost an 87-74 contest at Columbus State Wednesday evening.

The Pacers are now 11-14 on the season, including a 6-11 ledger in PBC play.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was led by Caleb Byrd's team-high 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting. McCaskill Rivers added 15 points, five boards and three assists. Jonah Lawrence added 10 points and four rebounds.

Josiah Harding chipped in nine points while TJ Jackson added five points. Chedlet Delva added three points and nine rebounds. William Vasser Jr., had three markers. Jackson Roberts and Deandre Smart added two points apiece. Roberts grabbed four boards.

Byrd drilled a three-point shot and Rivers connected on a free throw for an early 12-9 edge. Rivers found Roberts for a thunderous dunk at the 9:55 mark, giving the Pacers a 20-19 advantage. Facing a 24-20 deficit, Byrd's pass found Jackson for a three-point bucket. Rivers hit Byrd for a deep three-ball before Lawrence connected with Rivers for a lay-up, giving USCA a 28-24 lead with 6:49 to play in the half.

Trailing 29-28, Lawrence netted five straight points, including the final two on a dunk, for a 33-29 margin. Lawrence hit a pair of free throws and Byrd drained an inside shot for a 37-34 lead with 1:52 to play in the half. Rivers hit a jumper at the 37-second mark, sending Vanderslice's team into halftime with a 39-38 advantage.

The back-and-forth affair saw the Cougars take a 48-46 lead at the 15:41 mark. Rivers and Byrd drilled shots, propelling the Pacers to a 50-48 lead. CSU held a 54-50 advantage before Harding and Jackson nailed field goals, once again tying the score.

The Cougars hit a shot with 5:19 remaining for a 73-63 lead. However, Rivers sliced to the rim for a lay-up. Delva hit two charity tosses, cutting the deficit to six, 73-67.  That was as close as USCA could get the rest of the way.

For the game, USCA hit 30-of-63 from the floor, including five-of-21 from distance. The team buried nine-of-13 from the charity stripe. Vanderslice's squad held a 35-30 edge on the glass, including an eight-to-six margin on the offensive boards.

Overall, there were 29 lead changes. The Pacers dished out nine assists and netted 38 points in the lane. USCA had 15 second-chance points.

The Pacers return home on Saturday to host Lander for Senior Day. Tip-off is slated for 3:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.