Evansville, IN -- The USC Aiken Pacers have made it into the NCAA Division II Final Four tournament, winning their Elite Eight game against Cal. State-Chico by a score of 85-70.
Ranked 5th in the NCAA Division Two tournament this year, the Pacers shot 48,2% from the field, posting an NCAA Elite Eight record 10 blocks in a single game. As a team, USC Aiken canned 27-of-56 from the floor (48.2 percent), including seven-of-12 from downtown (58.3 percent). The squad also buried 24 free throws and out-rebounded the Wildcats 49-39.
Leading the way for head coach Vince Alexander's team was Ronald Zimmerman's game-high 33 points. DeVontae Wright added 12 points and a game-best four assists while not committing a turnover. Alvin Brown netted 11 points, including nine in the first half, to go along with an NCAA Elite Eight tying eight blocks. Jesse Seilern added eight points and 11 rebounds while Paul Larsen totaled eight markers and 10 boards.
The Pacers and Wildcats fought for the lead early, trading leads for the first ten minutes of the game, until USC Aiken stretched its lead to seven at 20-13 when Wright hit a jumper just outside the lane with 10:45 to go in the half. The Wildcats clawed their way back into the game, tying it at 31 with 4:21 to play. However, Brown received the ball at the top of the key, spun away from his man and sliced through two defenders before throwing down a rim-rocking dunk for a two-point edge just before the media time-out.
Tied at 33 in the closing minutes, the Pacers went on a 5-0 run for a 38-33 lead at the break. After Santoine Butler connected on a lay-up, Zimmerman hit a corner three with just 35 seconds left in the half.
Alexander's team continued the spurt at the start of the second half as Brown registered another dunk and Larsen hit an inside shot for a nine-point advantage at the 18:16 mark.
The Pacers' strong defense limited good scoring chances for Chico State in the second half. The squad held the Wildcats to 34.2 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes while holding the designated visitors to a mere 25.8 percent shooting from downtown for the game.
USC Aiken extended its lead to 16 on a pair of free throws by Zimmerman. However, one of the loudest cheers of the night came when Kinley Branch hit a lay-up with 37 seconds to play for the final two points of the game.
The D-II Final Four tips for #5 Aiken tonight at 9:30PM (EST) when they play second-seed West Liberty in the 2nd National Semifinal game at the Ford Center in Evansville.
If the Aiken Pacers top W. Liberty tonight, they'll play in the NCAA Division Two National Championship on Saturday at 3PM, airing nationally from CBS Sports, on News 19, WLTX.
