Box Score FLORENCE, SC - Sophomore forward David Turner's stick-back of a
missed three-pointer with 0.3 on the clock gave Francis Marion
University a thrilling 75-73 Homecoming win over Columbus State
University, Saturday afternoon (Feb. 14) in men's basketball
action.
FMU (15-7, 8-7) wins for the fifth time in its last seven games
and strengthens its hold on fifth place in the PBC standings.
Senior forward Kevin Clark led FMU with 19 points and 10
rebounds, his seventh double-double of the season. Junior
guard Anthony Wallen hit on 4-of-8 three-point attempts en route to
16 points. Simel Boyd added nine points and nine rebounds.
Senior forward Sean Miller paced Columbus State (8-13, 6-9) with
23 points and 11 rebounds. He connected on 7-of-12
three-point attempts including a game-tying three with 28 seconds
left. Junior Brandon Bland added 16 points and Carlos Wright
10.
A tip-in by Turner of his own miss with 31 seconds remaining had
given FMU a 73-70 lead, but Miller drained his game-tying triple
from the top-of-the-key only three seconds later. That left
the score tied at 73-73 with the shot clock off. On the final
possession, Clark missed badly on a three-pointer from the left
wing, but fortunately for the Patriots the ball did not hit the rim
and bounced off the backboard into the waiting arms of Turner, who
laid the ball back in, sending what remained of the crowd of 1,587
into a frenzy.
Midway through the first half, FMU used an 8-0 run to take its
largest lead of the game at 28-16 following a three-pointer by
Wallen with 9:06 left in the half. However, the Cougars
answered with a 17-4 spurt to take a 33-32. A three-pointer
by Wright capped the rally with 4:11 on the clock.
Patriot senior forward Sam Smith scored the half's final four
points to give FMU a 42-36 advantage at intermission.
In the second stanza, FMU led 44-38, before CSU again rallied
and tied the score at 48-48 with 14:26 remaining. After that
point, no team would lead by more than four points. A
three-pointer by Wallen knotted the score at 70-70 with 2:02
left. Following a CSU miss, Boyd hit 1-of-2 free throws with
1:03 left to put FMU up 71-70. On the ensuing possession, the
Cougars turned the ball over on a backcourt violation setting the
stage for Turner's tip-in with 31 ticks on the clock.
The shooting was nearly even for both squads with FMU hitting
40.9 percent from the floor and the Cougars 40.7 percent.
Francis Marion was 14-of-22 at the foul line compared to CSU's
15-of-23.
FMU will play at Lander University on Monday at 7:30 p.m., while
Columbus State hosts nationally ranked Georgia College & State
University on the same night also at 7:30 p.m.
02-14-09 4:20 pm at Florence, SC
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 75, COLUMBUS STATE 73
COLUMBUS STATE (8-13 , 6-9)
Miller, Sean 8-18 0-2 23; Bland, Brandon 5-10 5-7 16; Wright,
Carlos 3-7 3-5
10; Gagnon, Nick 3-9 1-3 7; Telesford, Chris 1-5 4-4 6; Zinder,
Rye 2-3 2-2
6; Stewart, Javarus 1-3 0-0 3; Brow, Owen 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 24-59
15-23 73.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (15-7 , 8-7)
Clark, Kevin 8-17 0-0 19; Wallen, Anthony 5-13 2-3 16; Boyd, Simel
4-10 1-4
9; Turner, David 4-10 0-0 8; Smith, Sam 2-6 4-5 8; Power, Houston
2-3 3-3 7;
Jones, Crayton 1-2 2-5 4; Jones, Stanley 1-4 2-2 4; French, Matt
0-1 0-0 0.
Totals 27-66 14-22 75.
Halftime: Francis Marion 42 Columbus State 36
3-point goals--Columbus State 10-21 (Miller, Sean 7-12; Stewart,
Javarus
1-3; Bland, Brandon 1-2; Wright, Carlos 1-2; Brow, Owen 0-1;
Zinder, Rye
0-1), Francis Marion University 7-18 (Wallen, Anthony 4-8; Clark,
Kevin 3-7;
Turner, David 0-2; Boyd, Simel 0-1). Fouled out--Columbus
State-Telesford,
Chris, Francis Marion University-Smith, Sam. Rebounds--Columbus
State 38
(Miller, Sean 11), Francis Marion University 41 (Clark, Kevin
10).
Assists--Columbus State 15 (Stewart, Javarus 4), Francis Marion
University
21 (Boyd, Simel 4; Wallen, Anthony 4; Jones, Crayton 4). Total
fouls--Columbus State 19, Francis Marion University 16.
Technical
fouls--None. A-1587