Pacer hoops squads look to erase bad memories

USCA head coach Vince Alexander and his Pacers will be looking for revenge today against UNC Pembroke. Staff photo by Cam Huffman.

There have been many days and nights to remember this season for the USC Aiken men’s and women’s basketball teams, but Jan. 18 was one they’d like to forget.

The miserable evening for Pacer fans started with the women’s game. Mike Brandt’s USCA club was 13-1 coming into that contest and was 6-0 in Peach Belt Conference play. The Pacers looked unbeatable, but UNC Pembroke, playing on its home floor, wasn’t buying into that notion.

USCA simply couldn’t get shots to fall against the Braves’ defense. The Pacers shot just 30.4 percent from the field, and 18 turnovers didn’t help the cause, either. UNCP, just 6-8 coming into the contest, got 14 points from Domonique Washington and 11 from DeDe Cotten to pull off the upset, winning 52-46.

USCA’s men’s team, meanwhile, was 12-2 heading into the meeting with UNCP and a perfect 6-0 in PBC play. Coming off a win against rival Augusta State, the Pacers were riding high. But the evening’s second contest didn’t do anything to make USCA fans feel any better.

That momentum in that game changed when UNCP started the second half with a 13-5 run to open up a nine-point advantage. USCA trimmed the deficit back down to as little as two points, but the Braves responded and led by double figures at one point before eventually securing a 78-69 win.

UNCP shot 46 percent from the field and put three players in double figures, led by guard Marcus Heath, who scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds, knocking down 11 of 13 attempts at the foul line.

Shahmel Bracket scored 11, and K.J. Kooper came off the bench to score 15 points and dish out four assists.

The memories of those losses will be on the minds of USCA players, coaches and fans as UNCP makes the return trip to the USCA Convocation Center today for a PBC doubleheader, and with just five regular season games left on the schedule, the Pacers will be playing for more than just revenge.

The women’s game, scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start, is a must-win for USCA (18-3, 11-2 PBC) if it hopes to keep alive the possibility of winning a PBC East Division title. The Pacers put themselves back in that race Wednesday by going on the road and handing Lander (17-4, 12-1 PBC) its first conference loss of the season.

The Pacers and Bearcats will meet again in Aiken on Feb. 18, giving USCA a chance to pull even, but Brandt’s club can’t afford another slip-up against the Braves if the Lander game is to mean what he hopes it will.

The No. 15 Pacers are also continuing to flirt with the idea of winning the Southeast Region and hosting the regional tournament. USCA, Lander and Clayton State (21-2, 11-1), which leads the PBC West, are all in the hunt for that top spot. USCA would need some help with a couple of Clayton State losses to end up with the No. 1 seed, but there’s still a lot of basketball left to be played.

Today’s game will also be a special Play 4Kay game at the Convocation Center. Play 4Kay is a global, unified effort for a nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund, in partnership with the WBCA and The V Foundation, is the official Play 4Kay charity.

USCA is encouraging any survivors or family members of breast cancer survivors in the USCA system to come to be honored during halftime of the women’s game.

Like their female counterparts, the No. 20 USCA men will also be thinking about conference, regional and national ramifications when they take the floor at approximately 7:30 for the nightcap.

Road losses at Clayton State and Lander have likely taken away any hope head coach Vince Alexander’s club had of hosting a regional, but it’s still playing to get the best possible seed in the tournament. USCA (16-5, 10-3) is also fighting to maintain the top spot in the PBC and the PBC East. In the overall conference race, the Pacers hold a one-game lead over Montevallo and Columbus State, who are tied for the top spot in the PBC West at 8-4. In the East Division race, USCA is two games ahead of rival Augusta State, which is 9-5 in PBC action.

Tonight’s men’s game will also include a special halftime presentation. USCA will be honoring Master Public Safety Officer Scotty Richardson and Master Corporal Sandy Rogers, two Aiken Public Safety officers shot and killed in the line of duty over the last two months, at halftime of the men’s game. All in attendance will receive a ribbon in honor of the fallen officers.

In addition, all law enforcement individuals and their families will receive complimentary tickets to the doubleheader, as they will for the remainder of the regular season.

Breakout

What: USCA basketball doubleheader

When: Today, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Who: No. 15 USCA women vs. UNC Pembroke

No. 20 USCA men vs. UNC Pembroke

Where: USCA Convocation Center

Star watch: USCA women – Sophomore point guard Brittany Hill is second in the PBC with 4.7 assists per game.

UNCP women – Forward Courtney Bolton is averaging 12.6 points per game and shooting 54.1 percent from the field.

USCA men – Ronald Zimmerman is a big spark off the bench for USCA. He is one of the league’s best 3-point shooters, knocking down 41.6 percent of his attempts.

UNCP men – Shahmel Bracket is the team’s top scorer, averaging 14 points per game.