FLORENCE, SC – Junior swingman Matt Todd scored a career-high 24 points in his first start of the season as Francis Marion University cruised by winless Johnson & Wales University 93-41, Wednesday evening (Jan. 19) in non-conference men's basketball action.
The win snaps a two-game skid for the Patriots (10-5) who will return to Peach Belt Conference play on Saturday afternoon at Flagler College in a 3:30 p.m. start. The Wildcats, in only their second year of competition, fall to 0-18.
Todd hit his first three shots, all from beyond the three-point arc, as Francis Marion raced to a 9-0 lead and never trailed in the game. Todd was 9-of-13 from the floor, including 6-of-9 from long distance, in only 28 minutes of action.
FMU senior David Turner registered season-high totals of 16 points and eight rebounds, while 6-10 junior center Andrew Smith scored 13 points and hauled down a career-high 15 rebounds for his first career double-double. Senior Simel Boyd added 12 points and nine rebounds, while junior forward Liki Turner chipped in 10 points.
Sophomore 6-4 forward Michael Daniel led JWU with 11 points and four rebounds. Guard Julian McCants came off the bench to contribute eight points.
The Patriots outrebounded the smaller Wildcats 56-21 and led 23-2 in second-chance points and 50-14 in points-in-the-paint.
FMU led 39-20 at halftime, and then opened the second stanza with an 11-0 run. Francis Marion's largest lead came at 93-40 late in the game, and the final score fell just short of the school record for largest margin of victory (56 points) set earlier this season.
The Patriots shot 52.9 percent from the floor, including 9-of-23 three-point attempts, while holding JWU to 28.8 percent.
FMU senior point guard Bryant Julious helped direct the Patriot offense by handing out a career-high nine assist.
1-19-11 7 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 93, JOHNSON & WALES UNIV 41
JOHNSON & WALES UNIV (0-18)
Michael Daniel 4-7 3-4 11; Julian McCants 3-3 0-0 8; Willie Perlotte 3-15
0-0 6; Rodrick Latimer 1-6 4-6 6; Shane Townsend 1-4 2-2 4; Cedarian Grier
1-5 0-0 2; Neko Burson 1-3 0-0 2; Matthew Gordon 1-3 0-0 2; Joseph Quispe
0-1 0-0 0; Nicholas TenEyck 0-2 0-0 0; Justin Tolbert 0-0 0-0 0; Warren
Edwards 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 15-52 9-12 41.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (10-5)
Todd, Matt 9-13 0-1 24; Turner, David 7-9 2-4 16; Smith, Andrew 6-12 1-5 13;
Boyd, Simel 5-10 2-2 12; Turner, Liki 4-6 2-5 10; Greenfield, Shawn 2-5 1-2
7; Coleman, Dominique 3-7 0-0 6; Gary, Evrik 1-7 2-2 5; Julious, Bryant 0-1
0-0 0. Totals 37-70 10-21 93.
Halftime: Francis Marion 39 Johnson & Wales 20
3-point goals--Johnson & Wales Univ 2-8 (Julian McCants 2-2; Willie Perlotte
0-2; Rodrick Latimer 0-2; Cedarian Grier 0-1; Warren Edwards 0-1), Francis
Marion University 9-23 (Todd, Matt 6-9; Greenfield, Shawn 2-5; Gary, Evrik
1-5; Coleman, Dominique 0-3; Turner, David 0-1). Fouled out--Johnson & Wales
Univ-None, Francis Marion University-None. Rebounds--Johnson & Wales Univ 21
(Michael Daniel 4; Cedarian Grier 4), Francis Marion University 56 (Smith,
Andrew 15). Assists--Johnson & Wales Univ 10 (Rodrick Latimer 3), Francis
Marion University 26 (Julious, Bryant 9). Total fouls--Johnson & Wales Univ
18, Francis Marion University 11. Technical fouls--None. A-511
