MORROW, Ga. – Tied atop the Peach Belt Conference standings, Clayton State (8-4, 6-2 PBC) was unable to quell a second half rally that allowed USC Aiken (8-4, 5-3 PBC) to come away with a 91-86 victory in an NCAA Division II men's basketball game on Saturday, January 13.
 
Junior forward Jaylen Taylor (Hephzibah, Ga.) registered a career-high 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting and hauled in nine boards to pace the Lakers. He was joined by senior guard Nathan Powell (Orlando, Fla.) with 14 points, seven assists, four rebounds and a pair of steals.
 
Redshirt-junior guard Aubrey McRae (Augusta, Ga.) drained four three-pointers on his way to 18 points while junior guard Justin Tuckson (Stafford, Va.) finished with 11 points, three steals, three assists and three boards. Senior forward Denzel Council (Macon, Ga.) rounded things out with nine points and two steals.
 
Neither team would gain much separation over the first 3:48 as the lead would be no more than three points in that time, eventually settling at 8-7 Clayton State. From there the Lakers would score 18 of the next 27 points to extend to a 27-16 margin by the 10:28 mark.
 
The Pacers would eventually close to within seven, 38-31, with 4:16 to play in the half before a 9-2 burst left Clayton State with a 47-33 advantage. USCA would not go away, however, as they scored the last eight points of the frame to head to the break with the score at 47-41.
 
That run would extend to 13-0 and a 47-46 deficit less than a minute into the second half before the Lakers responded with a 12-2 stretch of their own to push to a 59-48 margin over the next 2:19. They would maintain at least a five point lead, eventually ending up at 68-63 with 10:19 to play, before the Pacers started to gain traction.
 
With the score at 75-69 and 7:53 on the clock, USC Aiken launched a 14-2 run that vaulted them to an 83-77 lead at the 4:36 mark. Four straight free throws would then spark a 9-2 Clayton State run that flipped the script and gave them back the lead at 86-85 with just over a minute remaining. It would be their last lead, however, as the Pacers capitalized on a Doniel Dean layup and then four free throws to retake the lead and close out the 91-86 victory.
 
Faison Brock led six players in double-figures for USC Aiken, finishing with 19 points and nine rebounds while Robert Hill had 10 points and eight boards. Dean and Markus Terry added 15 and 14 points, respectively, and Paris Ballinger had 12 points and four assists. Austin Grimes wrapped up the top performances with 11 points.
 
The Lakers are right back at The Loch as they host Lander on Monday, January 15. Game time is set for approximately 3:30 p.m. as part of a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day matinee following the women's contest.