USC Aiken takes second loss to Florida Southern
USC Aiken men's basketball team hosted No. 4-ranked Florida Southern on Saturday in a game which started out with great promise for the Pacers but slowly unraveled in the second half as the Mocs pulled away for an 87-74 win.
It was the Pacers' first game since losing to Pfeiffer by 19 points in the Catawba Classic last week.
"We have a young team. We're inexperienced at the guard spot," USCA coach Vince Alexander said. "We're counting on our young guys to step up. Today our young players made youth mistakes."
Alexander was referring to the Pacers' 18 turnovers, many of which were sloppy and likely wouldn't have been committed by more experienced players. Against an inferior team, the Pacers might have overcome their self-inflicted miscues. Florida Southern's talented three-man backcourt, however, capitalized on the turnovers.
"Their guard play was tremendous," Alexander said of Florida Southern, which was 11-of-21 from 3-point range. "The game was won on the perimeter. I don't think we played well there."
Junior guard Terry Jenkins scored a game-high 26 points for the Mocs, hitting 5-of-7 3-pointers. Rion Rayfield - another junior guard - had 15 points and a game-best eight assists, while fellow guard Brandon Jenkins had four 3-pointers and 14 points.
"Our defense was not as good as it needs to be," said USCA center Michael Technow, who recorded the first double-double of his career with 22 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Pacers (2-2) have lost two games in a row for only the second time in the past three seasons. The last time
USCA lost two games in a row, the second of the consecutive defeats came against Florida Southern. The Pacers fell to the Mocs (4-0) last year.
In addition to being outplayed in the backcourt, the Pacers were hurt by their aggressive style of play. USCA committed 26 fouls, allowing Florida Southern to shoot nearly three times as many free throws. The Mocs were 24-of-35 from the charity stripe, compared to the Pacers' 8-of-13 free throw shooting.
The Pacers' aggressiveness allowed the Mocs a few easy baskets, as they were able to brake USCA's full-court pressure.
In spite of their miscues, the Pacers were neck-and-neck with the Mocs for most of the first half. Technow can be credited for USCA's early success. He was a stabilizing force on both ends of the floor, providing good help defense, strong play in the pivot and on the glass.
"It was good to see Mike come out and play," Alexander said. "He came out with a focus."
Technow's first-half totals of 14 points and eight rebounds nearly doubled his early season averages for entire games.
"I was open, they gave me the ball and I did what I'm supposed to do," he said.
Florida Southern adjusted its defense in the second half, double-teaming Technow. The extra focus inside created more opportunities for USCA on the perimeter. The Pacers were unable to take advantage and the Mocs slowly pulled away, opening a double-digit lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game.
"We've got to stay positive," Alexander said. "We're playing a good schedule and some of these things will happen. ... We've got a chance in conference and this team will get better with each game. I think we'll be alright."
The Pacers will try to snap their losing streak Wednesday when they open Peach Belt Conference play. They will travel to Florence to take on Francis Marion. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Contact Noah Feit at nfeit@aikenstandard.com.