FLORENCE, SC - Senior guard Kendrick Robinson's 14 points led three Patriots in double figures as Francis Marion University defeated Southern Wesleyan University 81-66, Monday night (Jan. 4) in non-conference men's basketball action.

Francis Marion wins its fifth straight contest and ups its overall mark to 10-1, the fourth time in school history that the Patriots have won 10 of their first 11 games.  Southern Wesleyan, idle since Dec. 17, drops to 6-5.

Following Robinson was 6-9 sophomore center Andrew Smith with 12 points, his fifth double-digit effort of the season, while senior swingman Kaylan Anderson tallied 10 points and four blocked shots coming off the FMU bench.  Junior forward Simel Boyd added nine points and a team-high eight rebounds, while junior point guard Mike Candelaria recorded eight points and eight assists in a reserve role.

FMU returns to Peach Belt Conference play on Wednesday with a road game at Lander University.  Southern Wesleyan will play host to Truett McConnell College on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Freshman 6-9 center Nikola Lambic led SWU with 19 points, while junior forward Nick Lagroone scored 17 points despite being hampered by foul trouble.

Francis Marion held a pair of early five-point leads, but Southern Wesleyan rallied to take a 16-15 lead following a three-point play by Sebais Duck with 12:08 left before halftime.  The Warrior lead would grow to 28-24 after a three-pointer by Nathan Wilson at the 7:24 mark.  The Patriots broke a 30-30 deadlock by scoring 10 of the half's final 13 points and led 40-33 at intermission.

Although Francis Marion never trailed in the second stanza, the Patriots were unable to pull away from the Warriors until the game's final six minutes.

A three-pointer by Lagroone with 7:50 remaining in the game kept Southern Wesleyan within five points at 62-57.  FMU then rattled off eight straight points, six by Edward Gullatte, to finally open a double-figure margin at 70-57.  Two minutes later, an alley-oop dunk by Gullatte off a feed from Candelaria pushed the advantage to 74-59 with 3:00 left on the clock.

Francis Marion flourished at the free throw line, making 26 of 34 attempts.  At the defensive end, the Patriots recorded a season-high nine blocked shots.

It was the first meeting between the two programs since the 1991-92 season when both schools were member of NAIA District Six.  FMU leads the all-time series 12-9.

1-4-10 7 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 81, SOUTHERN WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY 66
SOUTHERN WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY (6-5)
Lambic, Nikola 9-18 1-1 19; Lagroone, Nick 7-11 1-2 17; Wilson, Nathan 3-10
1-3 8; Miller, Nate 3-7 0-0 7; Duck, Sebais 2-4 1-1 6; Wilson, Damel 2-5 1-2
5; Smith, Aramus 1-1 0-0 2; Roebuck, Tae 1-4 0-0 2; Ballenger, LaQuinton 0-0
0-0 0; Jankowy, Brandon 0-1 0-0 0; Oliver, Tate 0-2 0-0 0; Crowder, Nick 0-1
0-0 0; Cannon, Quinton 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-65 5-9 66.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (10-1)
Robinson, Kendrick 5-9 2-3 14; Smith, Andrew 4-5 4-4 12; Anderson, Kaylan
3-7 3-7 10; Boyd, Simel 4-9 1-2 9; Candelaria, Mike 2-7 2-2 8; Gullatte,
Edward 2-2 4-5 8; Turner, David 0-6 5-6 5; Mains, Herman 1-3 2-2 4; Julious,
Bryant 2-6 0-0 4; Faulkner, Robert 1-4 2-2 4; Petreikis, Mindaugas 1-2 1-1
3; Peterson, Andy 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-60 26-34 81.
Halftime: Francis Marion 40 Southern Wesleyan 33
3-point goals--Southern Wesleyan University 5-19 (Lagroone, Nick 2-5; Duck,
Sebais 1-3; Wilson, Nathan 1-4; Miller, Nate 1-4; Jankowy, Brandon 0-1;
Oliver, Tate 0-1; Lambic, Nikola 0-1), Francis Marion University 5-20
(Robinson, Kendrick 2-5; Candelaria, Mike 2-7; Anderson, Kaylan 1-4; Turner,
David 0-1; Julious, Bryant 0-3). Fouled out--Southern Wesleyan
University-Wilson, Damel, Francis Marion University-None. Rebounds--Southern
Wesleyan University 38 (Wilson, Damel 8), Francis Marion University 37
(Boyd, Simel 8). Assists--Southern Wesleyan University 18 (Duck, Sebais 9),
Francis Marion University 20 (Candelaria, Mike 8). Total fouls--Southern
Wesleyan University 27, Francis Marion University 14. Technical
fouls--None. A-100