USCA women dodge a bullet

USC Aiken guard Brittany Hill (2) shoots in the win over Francis Marion. Hill had 10 assists, six points and a key steal. Staff photo by by Jeremy Timmerman.

Because the USC Aiken women's 65-63 win over Francis Marion on Wednesday came on Senior Night, much of the focus was justifiably on seniors Hannah DeGraffinreed and Lindsay Sundberg.

Those in attendance at the Convocation Center also saw the capable hands in which those seniors are leaving the program. It was evident in the final minutes.

In a game the Pacers led by as many as 10 points in the first half, the home team trailed on a couple occasions in the second half. With her team leading by only two and 3:39 left on the clock, DeGraffinreed stretched the lead back to four at 57-53.

DeGraffinreed finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, crossing the career 1,000-point barrier as a Pacer with 1,002. She said the game got tight because USCA (22-3, 15-2 Peach Belt Conference) got out of its rhythm.

"We just have to cool down, not go fast-paced or too slow even," she said after the Pacers improved to 12-0 at the Convocation Center, the first time they've gone undefeated at home since the 1977-78 season. "We just have to go at our pace and do the things that we know we're supposed to do to get that lead back up."

Moments after DeGraffinreed's basket, the Patriots had drawn within two again. This time, however, sophomore Kayla Harris stepped up. She hit a layup, drawing the foul, but she missed the free throw to leave the Pacers with a four-point lead at 61-57.

Francis Marion's Brittany Christian answered with a successful basket-and-one to bring the Patriots within a point, and Carmella Thompson picked off a Brittany Hill pass at the other end.

When T.T. Belcher converted her own basket and free throw for FMU (9-17, 4-14), the Patriots held a 63-61 lead with only 41 seconds remaining in the game.

Harris had an answer, though. On the ensuing possession, she connected layup with 25 seconds remaining in the game, tying the score at 63-all.

That gave the Patriots the ball with a chance to hold on for the last shot. They would win with any made basket, but the tandem of Hill and Harris quashed that effort.

When FMU was initiating its offense, Hill stole the ball and sprinted downcourt. She found Harris at the other end for what proved to be the game-winning layup.

USCA head coach Mike Brandt said the steal and resulting points were even better than what he was looking for.

"It was great anticipation on her part," he said of Hill. "I was just hoping somehow we could get some kind of turnover - maybe a travel, maybe a charge."

Hill finished the game with 10 assists to go with six points, and Harris scored 23 points, collected six rebounds and dished out four assists.

Even though DeGraffinreed said she was glad to have the home win and to be one step closer to a PBC East title, she and her teammates have their eyes on bigger targets.

"It's definitely good, she said. "This is our last home game for us, but we're trying to win out and host regional, so that'll give us three more."

The Pacers will travel to play Flagler Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the regular-season finale. Should they win on Saturday, they will head to the PBC Tournament, in Columbus, Ga., as the East Division champions and a No. 1 seed.

Jeremy Timmerman covers sports and entertainment and has been at the Aiken Standard since June 2010. He has a journalism degree from Mercer University and has lived in the CSRA at least part-time for most of his life.