Twentieth-ranked Pacers suffer upset loss on road

GREENWOOD -- The 20th-ranked USC Aiken men's basketball team lost a Peach Belt Conference game Wednesday, falling on the road to Lander, 70-62.

The Bearcats (14-7, 7-6) opened the game, racing out to a 13-5 lead. The Pacers (16-5, 10-3) responded with a 12-2 run of their own to take a two-point lead with 9:24 to play in the first half after Sterling Council scored a fast break layup. Council scored all of his 11 points in the opening half as USCA shot 44 percent (11-for-25) as a team in the game's first 20 minutes.

In spite of the solid first-half showing, Lander led 30-28 at halftime. The Bearcats added to that advantage in the second half, going ahead by as many as 16 points. But with less than a minute to play in the contest, the Pacers were trailing by just six points at 66-60.

That would be as close as they would get, with Lander holding on for the eight-point win.

USCA shot 43.4 percent (23-for-53) for the game, connecting on just 4 of 25 percent (16 percent) 3-point attempts. The Pacers missed their first 11 tries from beyond the 3-point arc. In addition to Council, Terrance Dent was the only other USCA player to finish the game scoring in double figures, also posting 11 points.

Jermel Kennedy led three Bearcats with 25 points. Teammate Dwight Tolbert finished with a double-double, tallying 20 points and 12 rebounds.

The Pacers next game will be on Saturday at the Convocation Center against UNC Pembroke. At halftime of that game, the USCA athletic department will honor Master Public Safety Officer Scotty Richardson and Master Corporal Sandy Rogers. All in attendance will receive a ribbon in honor of the fallen officers.

All law enforcement individuals and their families will receive complimentary tickets to the doubleheader, as they will for the remaining three home doubleheaders on the schedule. All the law enforcement community (police, sheriff's department, firemen, highway patrol, etc.) needs to do is show their badge at the Convocation Center ticket window to claim their complimentary tickets for themselves and their families.