Pacers down No. 3 Tusculum 61-48 in women's basketball

GREENWOOD, S.C. --- USC Aiken’s Kayla Harris poured in 18 points off the bench, while the Pacers held off a furious second half rally to defeat third-ranked Tusculum College 61-48 Sunday afternoon at Horne Arena.  The contest was part of the 2010 Lady Bearcat D2 Tip-Off Classic, hosted this weekend by Lander University.

USC Aiken (2-0) also got 15 points and eight rebounds from Daniela Tarailo, while Hannah DeGraffinreed added nine markers and five boards as the Pacers remain undefeated on the season.

Tusculum senior guard Jasmine Parker led the Pioneers (0-2) with 15 points, while junior Linda Aughburns accounted for a dozen points and seven rebounds.  Junior Staci Hicks finished with nine points and a game-high nine rebounds, while senior guard Jasmine Gunn was limited to only seven points, ending a remarkable string of 23 consecutive games of double-digit scoring for the two-time All-American.

USCA vaulted out to an 18-point lead in the first half, thanks to a 9-0 run, led single-handedly by Tarailo who made her first three 3-point shots as the Pacers led 35-19 at the intermission.

Trailing by 16 points (43-27) with 13:52 left in the contest, the Pioneers mounted a 19-6 run that including six points each by Parker and Gunn and a key three-pointer by Kendal Baxter as Tusculum trailed 49-46 with 4:10 left on the clock.

But the Pacers responded with a 15-1 run to close out the game, sparked by a three-point play by DeGraffinreed and a three-pointer from Nakia Pinkney.

Tusculum travels to nationally-ranked Clayton State University next Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. on the Morrow, Ga. campus.  It will be a rematch of last year’s NCAA Division II Tournament opener and will be the third of seven straight road contests for the Pioneers to open the season.