USC Aiken Will Face Off Against FMU in Quarterfinals of PBC Tournament

2010 Peach Belt Conference Basketball Tournament Website

AIKEN, S.C. - The USC Aiken women's basketball team will open the 2010 Marvin Vanover Peach Belt Conference Basketball Championship at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2 in Florence, S.C. against Francis Marion.

USC Aiken concluded its 2009-10 regular season with an overall record of 15-12. The Pacers were 10-8 in their PBC campaign.

The Pacers are the third seed in the Peach Belt Conference East and they will open the 2010 Peach Belt Conference Tournament at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2 against the PBC East No. 2 Francis Marion Patriots.

The Pacers and Patriots will be vying for a place in the 2010 PBC Basketball Championship semifinals, which will be held at the Convocation Center in Aiken, S.C. on Saturday, March 6.

The winner of the USC Aiken-Francis Marion quarterfinal will advance on to face the winner of the Georgia College & State-Georgia Southwestern game. The GCSU Bobcats claimed the top seed in the West, while the Hurricanes advanced to the PBC Tournament for the first time as the No. 4 seed in the West.

USC Aiken and Francis Marion played twice in the 2009-10 season with Francis Marion earning a narrow victory in both games. In the first meeting between the two on Dec. 2, 2009, USC Aiken led for the majority of the game, but FMU came back to earn a 69-65 victory.

In the second meeting, USC Aiken nearly pulled off an upset over the 18^th-ranked Patriots in a 79-77 loss.

After battling for nearly 40 minutes, the game was settled on the last possession for USC Aiken as the Pacers were unable to get an open shot as time expired.

The back-and-forth game was tied eight times, the lead changed hands five times and both teams acquired double-digit leads on one another before the two-point conclusion. Francis Marion led by as many as 11 points, while USC Aiken garnered a 12- point advantage at one point in the contest.

According to USC Aiken athletic records, USC Aiken and Francis Marion have tangled 63 times on the hardwood overall with Francis Marion owning a 44-19 all-time series advantage. The Patriots have won the last four in the series, which includes a 101-83 victory over the Pacers in the 2009 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Southeast Region Tournament.