MORROW, Ga. – The USCA men's basketball team secured a spot in the PBC Tournament with an 83-71 victory at Clayton State Saturday afternoon.

The Pacers are now 13-15 on the year, including 8-12 in PBC play.

Head coach Mark Vanderslice's team was guided by Caleb Byrd's 22 points and seven rebounds. He also notched four steals in the win. TJ Jackson scored 16 points and tallied six assists. Jonah Lawrence notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four assists. McCaskill Rivers added 10 points and five rebounds.

Deandre Smart tallied eight points and four rebounds while Brock Cherry tallied six points. Chedlet Delva accounted for five points, 11 rebounds and four blocks while William Vaser Jr., added five markers.

Tied at 2-2, TJ Jackson buried a step-back jumper. Byrd netted five straight points before Lawrence made a free throw. Jackson hit Byrd with a stellar pass, leading to another shot from distance. Rivers converted an old-fashioned three-point play, completing a 14-0 spurt.

Leading 21-19, Jackson connected on a three-ball. After hitting a foul shot, he found Byrd for a jumper, making it 28-19 with 6:23 to go in the half. Holding a 35-25 lead, Lawrence made a charity toss. Smart nailed an inside shot before Jackson found Lawrence for a lay-up. Smart hit a jumper with 21 ticks on the clock as USCA maintained a 42-27 lead at intermission.

Rivers took a pass from Byrd and made an inside bucket to get things going in the second half, extending the margin to 17. Byrd's lay-up made it 46-32 at the 17:51 mark, but the Lakers embarked on a 9-0 spurt. Cherry answered with a three-point jumper off a pass from Smart. With just under 15 minutes remaining, Cherry found Jackson for a three-ball.

Holding a 54-48 lead, Cherry netted another field goal – this time from downtown. Up 63-54, Jackson nailed a three-point bucket. Delva canned two free throws for a 14-point cushion, 68-54.   

Clayton State sliced the deficit to eight, 73-65, but Smart answered the call with a lay-up. Vasser Jr., made an inside shot before Smart's lay-up made it 79-65.

For the game, USCA buried 29-of-73 from the floor, including 12-of-33 from distance. The team drained 13-of-20 from the charity stripe. Vanderslice's squad pulled down 43 rebounds, including 18 on the offensive glass. The Pacers dished out 18 assists and recorded 19 points off the bench. USCA had 13 steals and scored 23 points off turnovers. The team also netted 32 points in the lane.

The PBC will announce the tournament bracket after the final regular-season contest.