COLUMBIA, S.C. – USC Aiken's Marissa Bruce hit a layup with two seconds left on the clock to lift the Pacers to a 61-59 victory over the Benedict College Lady Tigers in their 2017-18 season opener on Tuesday night in the Benjamin E. Mays HRC Arena.

Benedict had tied the contest at 59 with a layup by Shanaissa White with 1:57 left to play, but the Lady Tigers missed three shots and had two turnovers down the stretch.

Benedict falls to 0-1 in the season. USC Aiken improves to 1-2, picking up its first win of the season.

Ay'Anna Bey led Benedict with 15 points, and added eight rebounds. White had 11 points and team-high nine rebounds. Shirvel Luke also chipped in 11 points.

Benedict attempted 22 3-pointers and made just four, shooting 18.2 percent from beyond the arc.

The Lady Tigers had an 18-14 lead after the first quarter and built as much as an eight-point lead, 30-22, after a layup by White. USC Aiken cut the lead to two points a short while later, but Benedict still maintained a 36-32 lead at the half.

In the third quarter, Benedict pushed the lead back to eight points, 44-36, on a jumper by Andresha Smith. But the Pacers scored the next 12 points to take a 48-44 lead and had a 50-48 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter was a tight battle, with neither team leading by more than a basket, and the score was tied five times.

Benedict travels to Winston-Salem, N.C. this weekend for contests against St. Augustine's on Saturday and Winston-Salem State on Sunday.