USC Aiken travelled to North Georgia Saturday and earned a third straight win over a nationally ranked opponent. Freshman Jameel Rideout nailed a baseline jumper with 0.6 seconds remaining to hand the Pacers a 79-78 win in overtime.
Fellow freshman Karon Boyd led USC Aiken in scoring with 19 points. Junior Tehree Horn and sophomore Jalen McCoy each added 18 points.
Meanwhile Augusta also tallied a road win after defeating Clayton State 79-61 to bounce back from its first (two-game) losing streak in two seasons.
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After falling behind 31-29 at halftime, the Jaguars outscored the Lakers 37-16 in the first 12 minutes of the second half and coasted to victory. Senior Tyshaun Crawford (20 points and 9 rebounds), sophomore Ja’Queze Kirby (16 points and 13 rebounds) and senior Miguel Arnold (16 points on 4-5 three point shooting) led Augusta.
With eight conference games remaining, the Pacers and the Jaguars are currently locked in a three way tie along with North Georgia at the top of the Peach Belt Conference standings.
No. 9 Augusta (17-3, 8-2) will host No. 18 North Georgia (14-3, 7-2) Wednesday at 7:30 P.M. The Jaguars will also be at home Saturday for a 2:00 P.M. matchup against Georgia College.
USC Aiken (15-5, 8-2) will host Columbus State (11-9, 4-6) Wednesday at 7:30 P.M. The Pacers will be at home Saturday too when Lander visits for a 3:30 P.M. game.
Follow Chad Cook’s coverage of local sports on Facebook and Instagram at @AugustaPressSports, and on Twitter at @AugPressSports.
