Rodney Prichard
Artie Walker, Jr./Special to the Aiken Standard
Rodney Prichard scored nine points with nine rebounds in the contest
64
Claflin CLAFMBB 2-6
78
Winner USC Aiken USCA 3-5
Claflin CLAFMBB
2-6
64
Final
78
USC Aiken USCA
3-5
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Claflin CLAFMBB 39 25 64
USC Aiken USCA 41 37 78

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Morris Wright

Late Game Surge Leads USC-Aiken Past Claflin

Aiken, S.C. – USC-Aiken outscored Claflin University 18-5 over the final eight minutes en route to defeating the Panthers, 78-64, on Wednesday (Dec. 4) at the Convocation Center.
 
The loss dropped Claflin to 2-6 heading into this Friday's (Dec. 6) home contest against Savannah State University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Wellness Complex (Tullis Arena).
 
Donnell Frayer, Jr. led the Panthers in scoring with 15 points, including three--three-pointers. Letrell West and Romero Hill added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Rodney Prichard finished just shy of a double-double for Claflin, with nine points and nine rebounds, while Devin Smith contributed nine points in the loss.
 
Shaquan Jules led USC-Aiken, now 3-5, with a game-high 16 points and nine rebounds.
 
In the second half, USC-Aiken used a 7-1 run to increase a 41-39 halftime lead to 48-43 with 16:59 left in the game.
 
The lead lasted 4-1/2 minutes until a Prichard tip-in gave Claflin a 52-51 advantage with 12:15 left.
 
After Prichard's baskets, the lead would change hands five times along with a tie over the next 4-1/2 minutes. USC-Aiken captured the lead for good with 8:41 remaining at 60-59. From that point, the Pacers scored 18 points down the stretch to only five for the Panthers.
 
For the second-half, Claflin was 9-for-37 (24.3%) from the field after going 13-for-27 (48.1%) in the opening period. The Panthers finished the game at 22-for-64 (34.4%) from the floor.
 
In the first half after a 7-7 tie, the Panthers offense went on a 12-2 run to take a 19-9 lead at the 11:55 mark. Frayer, Jr. had four points in the Panther run.
 
The next two minutes would see the Pacers use a 10-1 run to pull within one, 20-19, with 9:45 on the clock.
 
Claflin would maintain lead until the last nine seconds of the half when Dhieu Deing hit a three-pointer for USC-Aiken, giving the pacers a 41-39 lead at the intermission.
 
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