AIKEN, S.C. – The Georgia College women's basketball team (4-4, 0-1 PBC) dropped its first Peach Belt Conference (PBC) contest of the season 56-51 Wednesday at USC Aiken (5-5, 1-0 PBC).

The Bobcats had trouble finding the mark down the stretch, missing their final four attempts from the field. The Bobcats tied the game 51-51 on a free-throw by Shanteona Keys (Roswell, Georgia) with 1:29 remaining.

Mariah Durian responded with a jumper, then after a Pacer steal, two free-throws by Katelyn Grisillo pushed the Pacer lead up to four with just 29 seconds left.

Keys led the Bobcats with 15 points, adding six boards and a pair of assists. Fellow seniors Enisha Donley (Loganville, Georgia) and Belinda Schaafsma (Momence, Illinois) added 10 points each, with Donley grabbing seven rebounds as well.

Shooting was even from the floor with both teams at 38 percent, but the Pacers got an advantage by knocking down three more from long range (5-2) and eight more from the free-throw line (13-5). Georgia College won the battle on the boards 40-35.

USCA's Durian netted a team-high 15 points off the pine, including 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. Emry Tsitouris added an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double.

Georgia College is now 2-3 in its last five conference openers.

The Bobcats are back in action Saturday, Dec. 20 at 1:30 p.m. as they travel to UNC Pembroke.

The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at @GCBobcats on Twitter and Facebook for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.