Game-Opening 16-0 Run Dooms Panthers

By  //  November 26, 2012

Florida Tech Meets Barry On Saturday

AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA – Fifth-ranked South Carolina Aiken opened the game with a 16-0 run over the first four minutes and never looked back, defeating Florida Tech 95-58 in women’s basketball on Sunday.

Sophomore Kayk Wilson of Florida Tech scored a career high 24 points in a road loss Sunday to the University of South Carolina Aiken.(Image courtesy of Florida Tech)

“We got beat by a good team,” head coach John Reynolds said. “[USC Aiken] is a very good basketball team. They played really well. We prepared six days for this team, and everything we wanted to do, they took away. Sometimes you just have to give the other team credit.”

USC Aiken (4-0) opened the game with a 16-0 run over the first 3:34. Florida Tech (3-2) turned the ball over five-straight times, including on the opening tip to allow the Pacers a chance at the early lead.

Sophomore Kayk Wilson, coming off the bench, put the Panthers on the board for the first time at the 15:08 mark with a 3-pointer. Two minutes later, Wilson drilled a second triple to score FIT’s first six points.

Wilson was fouled with 12:10 remaining in the first half, and knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 11 points, down 20-9. It was the closest margin the Panthers saw against the Pacers all afternoon. USC Aiken pushed its lead to 19 points for a 52-33 halftime lead.

Wilson finished the first half with 12 points to lead FIT in just nine minutes of action.

The Panthers shot well from the field in the first session, shooting 44 percent (11-of-25), but the Pacers shot an impressive 73 percent (16-of-22) to counter. Both teams hit 5-of-7 (71%) from behind the arc in the first half.

The Pacers pushed the pace in the second half, never seeing their lead drop below 19 points. USC Aiken took its largest lead of 43 points with 3:43 remaining before going on to win by a score of 95-58. The Pacers are now 16-0 at the Convocation Center dating back to the beginning of the 2011-12 season.

Wilson added nine more points in the second half to finish with a career-high 21 points. She also pulled down seven rebounds and collected four assists to tie her career best in each category, while knocking down a season-high five field goals, three 3-pointers and eight free throws.

For USC Aiken it was Kayla Harris recording a game-high 24 points, going 7-for-7 from the field and 10-of-12 from the charity stripe. The Pacers finished the game shooting 62 percent from the field and 69 percent from long range.

FIT will travel to Barry on Saturday to begin Sunshine State Conference play. The Panthers and Buccaneers will tip off at 2 p.m.