RALEIGH -- The William Peace University men's basketball team routed Piedmont College 103-74 on Saturday afternoon in the Pacer first conference tilt. William Peace improved to 7-2 with the impressive victory over Piedmont.

William Peace looked pristine in the win over Piedmont coming off a loss to Hampden-Sydney College. The Pacers knocked down 16 three pointers and shot 59.3% from beyond the arc during the game.

The Pacers shot out to a decent lead in the first half and capped the half on a 19-11 run to post a 51-36 score going into the break. Jalen Vince scored all 13 of his points in the first half on 5-of-7 shooting.

The Lions roared out of the second half to score the first seven points, but the Pacers onslaught was just beginning. William Peace sliced the Piedmont defense with great ball movement to find open shooters and cutters for easy baskets. The Pacers went on an 18-9 run between 17:00 and 12:00 capped by a fast-break, one-handed, alley-oop dunk by Ryan Emfinger from John Burwell. The dunk rattled the entire gym and the fans exploded in excitement causing Piedmont to call a timeout with the Pacers leading 74-51.

The Pacers coasted to a victory with the help of a three-point barrage from Camden Ferguson, Ryan Emfinger, Joshua Jones, John Burwell, and Arnold Samuel and some great defensive to deny easy shots for Piedmont's bigs who had taken advantage of the paint in the first half.
Even the Pacers who played less than five minutes provided sufficient play. Jay-Len Roberts had a rebound and two blocks in two minutes. Samuel Arnold had three points in four minutes. Trey Bryant had two rebounds and a block in two minutes.

THE BIG PICTURE
William Peace starts out the year 1-0 in the USA South for the first time in school history. The Pacers are 7-2 overall, which marks the best start in school history, and beat Piedmont for the first time in program history.

BALANCED SCORING
The Pacers shared the ball evenly today with six players finishing in double figures. Chris Thomas led the way with 15 while Ryan Emfinger and Camden Ferguson finished with 14 each. Jalen Vince scored 13, Jay Hicks scored 12 and Dakota King scored 11.

FROM DOWNTOWN
It's no secret the Pacers can shoot the ball. William Peace is nearing 40% from three-point land on the year, but today was a clinic. The Pacers finished 16-of-27 from beyond the arc with eight different players knocking down a three pointer.

UP NEXT
William Peace will face the College at Old Westbury in the Christopher Newport Crowne Plaza Captains Shootout tournament on December 28. The Pacers will face another opponent the following day.