AIKEN, S.C. – The USCA women's basketball team's solid defense down the stretch led the squad to a hard fought 54-51 win over Lander on Senior Day.

The Pacers are now 8-18 on the season, including 5-13 in PBC play.

Head coach Brittany Batts' squad was paced by Morgan McDermott's 14-point performance. Zenia Palaska netted 13 points while Ioanna Stefanaki and Mahkayla Premo added 12 and 11, respectively. Destiny Harman and Mackenna Nix tallied two each. Monique Emelifeonwu notched 11 rebounds and four blocks in the victory.

Trailing 4-0 in the first quarter, Emelifeonwu found McDermott and Stefanaki for three-point buckets. Up 7-6, Premo nailed a three-point shot at the 4:30 mark. Palaska converted a shot and Stefanaki drilled a three-point bucket at the 3:25 mark.  Palaska's lay-up off a pass from Stefanaki completed a stellar run, giving the Pacers a 17-6 lead with 2:46 to go in the frame.  Batts' squad held a 19-10 advantage entering the second quarter.

Palaska's bucket at the 8:35 mark of the second quarter extended the lead to 23-12, but the Bearcats sliced the margin to 25-19 with 4:50 remaining. Tied at 26-26, McDermott nailed a corner three-ball off a pass from Palaska. With 29 ticks on the clock, McDermott hit Stefanaki for a lay-up, giving the Pacers a 31-26 advantage at the half.

Stefanaki found McDermott for a lay-up, giving USCA a 34-28 edge. Leading 34-30, Premo hit McDermott for a three-point shot with 6:46 remaining. Tied at 37-37, Stefanaki threw a pass to Palaska for a 16-foot jumper. The two connected again moments later, but this time Palaska's shot from distance gave the Pacers a 42-37 lead. Premo's tough drive pushed the margin to seven with just under a minute to play in the frame.  

McDermott connected on a shot from downtown at the 7:39 mark, giving the team a 47-39 advantage. However, the Bearcats tied it at 51-51 with 1:25 remaining. At the 1:13 mark, Palaska was fouled and canned one-of-two from the charity stripe. Palaska was fouled once again on the break and hit one-of-two with eight ticks on the clock for a 53-51 edge. Palaska grabbed a miss and called time-out, sealing the victory on Senior Day.

For the game, USCA hit 19-of-47 from the floor, including eight-of-25 from downtown. The team grabbed 49 rebounds, including 15 on the offensive glass, which led to 12 second-chance points.

The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they play at Georgia Southwestern at 5:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.