Pacers fall in second round

An unlikely postseason run finally came to an end Sunday night for the USC Aiken men's basketball team when the Pacers, underdogs since a first-round win in last week's Peach Belt Conference Tournament, fell to Montevallo 88-71 in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament Southeast Regional.

• Photos

Michael Holahan/Staff

USC Aiken's Sterling Council (right) scrambles for a loose ball against Montevallo's Jordan Hutchison. The Falcons won by 16 points, avenging a loss in the conference title game.

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USC Aiken vs. Montevallo(24 photos)

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After four consecutive postseason victories, the magic ran out for the Pacers when they took the court without Kevin Willis and Jorges Dongo, the two forwards who started in the conference championship victory last week over Montevallo.

Willis sat out for the second game in a row with a back injury. Dongo remained unavailable after his father's death in Africa. The lack of big men available for the game showed.

"That gave us an advantage," Montevallo coach Danny Young said. "We felt like we were going to go inside like we did yesterday, and that's how we started the game. We tried to go in the post, and we tried to go at them right away."

The Pacers got away with the reduced workforce in their first-round game Saturday afternoon, but Montevallo proved ready to exploit their weakness. The Falcons dominated with 36 points in the paint and shot 54.9 percent from the field. All five starters finished with at least 11 points.

USC Aiken's only answer came in the form of 11 3-pointers, and the Pacers trailed by only four at halftime. Freshman Re'mon Nelson hit five 3s and finished with 22 points.

But the effort wasn't enough to match Montevallo's high- powered offense.

"We were hoping that we were strong enough with a couple of guys with Seth (Leonard) and even Mike (Technow), but the foul situation just got us," USC Aiken coach Vince Alexander said. "That's where they get you. ... We just thought that we can battle them a little bit, but I think down the stretch they were just stronger than us because they had a little bit more left in the tank than we did."

The Falcons solidified the win by hitting 29 of 31 free throws. Senior guard Mark Plaza hit all 13 of his foul shots and finished with a career-high 23 points.

The win avenged Montevallo's five-point loss at USC Aiken last week in the conference title game, a fact that gave the Falcons all the motivation they needed.