Pacer women fall in 1st round of PBC tourney
Mar. 1—No. 6 YOUNG HARRIS 79, No. 3 USC AIKEN 67
AMERICUS, Ga. — The third-seeded USC Aiken women's basketball team is out of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament following Wednesday's 79-67 loss to sixth-seeded Young Harris in the first round.
The Pacers trailed by as many as 21 points before attempting a late rally.
Five Pacers scored in double figures, led by Breanna Gustave with 14 points on 4-for-14 shooting. Delaney Trushel had 13 points and eight rebounds, Jentri Worley and Annalise Malone scored 12 points apiece, and Emily Trushel scored 11.
USCA shot 38.3% for the game (28.6% from beyond the arc) and was out-rebounded by eight. Young Harris was 47.5% from the field and 40% from deep.
Young Harris led by five points after the first quarter, then closed the half with an 8-2 run for a 44-32 lead at the break.
The Mountain Lions then started the second half on a 9-2 run for a 19-point lead and never looked back.
The Pacers trailed by 20 heading into the fourth quarter, but the final margin was as close as they could cut the deficit.
USCA, which finished the regular season 18-10 and its most conference wins (12) in nearly a decade, will now wait to hear if its season will continue. The Pacers were ranked sixth in the most recent NCAA Southeast Region rankings and could be in line for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. Sunday and will be streamed live on NCAA.com.
