Monday Feb. 8, 2010

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Kevin Willis scored a career-high 23 points and the University of South Carolina Aiken men’s basketball team picked up an 80-76 victory over Flagler in Peach Belt Conference men’s basketball action at Flagler Gym on Monday evening.

The win is USC Aiken’s fourth in its last five outings. The Pacers are now 13-7 on the 2009-10 season. USC Aiken is 8-5 in the Peach Belt Conference.

The loss dropped Flagler to 7-14 overall. The Saints are now 2-10 in PBC action.

The game opened with neither team really being able to obtain any early separation. The Pacers were able to own an early four-point 18-14 lead with 11:51 left in the first half behind eight quick points from Casey McMasters (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin).

The Saints would turn things in their favor for the first time after that, going on a 7-0 run to own a 21-18 lead with nine minutes left in the first stanza.

Over the next seven minutes, Flager would go on top by as many as five, but a Brandon Shephard (Indian Trail, N.C./High Point) three-pointer with 1:53 to go in the first half had pulled the Pacers back even at 33-33. Seth Leonard (York, Pa./William Penn) gave the Pacers the lead back at 34-33 just under 30 seconds later after hitting one of two free throws.

Leonard then scored the final two of his three consecutive points on a lay-up with 48 seconds left until intermission. The lay-up garnered the Pacers a three-point 36-33 lead.

Andre McFarline pulled the Saints back to within one at 36-35, but McMasters made sure that the Pacers would enter the halftime break holding that three-point advantage as he hit a jumper with three seconds left to earn USC Aiken a 38-35 lead at intermission.

USC Aiken concluded the first half shooting 39 percent (12-for-31) from the field as a team. Flagler was 14-of-28 (50 percent) from the floor as a team in the first half. The Pacers picked up a third of their field goals in the half on three-pointers. USC Aiken was 4-for-10 from beyond the arc in the first half.