Pacers try to finish undefeated at home

USC Aiken basketball fans have not experienced the feeling of going home from the Convocation Center unhappy all season long. If the Pacers can keep it that way tonight when they face Francis Marion, they'll make history in the process.

The USCA women (21-3, 14-2) will put their 11-0 home record on the line tonight at 5:30, and the Pacer men (18-6, 12-4) will follow, trying to move to 14-0 at home. With a win, the women will finish perfect at home for the first time since the 1977-78 season, and the men would be undefeated in their home floor for the first time since going 13-0 in 2007-08. It would be the first time in school history that the programs accomplished the feat in the same year.

There's much more on the line than keeping the Pacer supporters happy, though. With a pair of wins over Augusta State and Lander last week, the USCA women moved to No. 10 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll. They're tied for first place in the Peach Belt Conference East Division but hold the tiebreaker over Lander thanks to a season sweep. If they can win tonight and Saturday at Flagler, the Pacers will be a No. 1 seed in the PBC Tournament, which will be held March 1-4 in Columbus, Ga.

USCA is also playing for the top spot in the Southeast Region standings. The Pacers were ranked second, behind only Clayton State, in the latest rankings.

Both teams are 21-2 in region play. If USCA can find a way to overtake the defending champion Lakers down the stretch, hosting a regional at the Convocation Center could become a huge advantage.

The first step is to knock off a struggling Francis Marion squad, which has lost seven of its last 10 games. The Patriots (9-16, 4-13) have one of the league's best scorers in sophomore guard Brittany Christian (12.3 ppg.) and a strong rebounding presence with both T.T. Belcher (9.0 rpg.) and Carmella Thompson (8.4 rpg.) crashing the boards.

The rest of the numbers, though, haven't been so impressive. The Patriots are turning the ball over 21.6 times per game, more than any other team in the league, and shooting just 36.5 percent from the field.

That's not good news against a USCA squad that's giving up just 52.6 points per game and has two players - sophomore guard Kayla Harris (14.5 ppg.) and senior forward Hannah DeGraffinreed (12.6 ppg.) among the league's top scorers.

The Pacer women will be trying to extend their winning streak to six games.

On paper, the men's game, scheduled to begin around 7:30 p.m., could be much more closely contested.

Francis Marion (16-11, 9-8) will come to Aiken fighting for its postseason life. The Patriots have stayed alive by winning two straight, but they still trail Lander (9-7) for fourth place in the PBC East by a half a game. Only four teams from each division will earn a spot in the PBC Tournament, making tonight's season finale critical.

FMU is led by senior forward Liki Turner, who's averaging 17.9 points and nine rebounds per contest. Marcus Wright, a senior guard, is a big-time 3-point threat, knocking down 42.3 percent of his long range attempts.

Tonight's game is also a big one for the Pacers, who hold a one-game lead over Augusta State (15-9, 11-5) for first place in the PBC East with two games to play. It also holds a game-and-a-half lead over PBC West leader Montevallo (10-5) for the top overall spot in the conference.

Nationally, USCA fell out of the NABC Coaches' Poll this week, but it was ranked third in the Southeast Region in the latest rankings and could lock up a good seed in the tournament with some wins down the stretch.

A pair of point guards in Re'mon Nelson and Sterling Council lead the Pacer attack, averaging 21.9 points and 6.7 assists per game between them. Ronald Zimmerman is also averaging double figures with 10.4 points per game, while Joel Gierbolini leads the team with 6.9 boards per outing.

Tonight's doubleheader will serve as Senior Day for both programs.

Cam Huffman has been the sports editor of the Aiken Standard since November 2006. He is a Lewisburg, W.Va., native and a graduate of West Virginia University.