FLORENCE, SC – It only took one half for the record book to be dusted off and opened up as Francis Marion University, utilizing head coach Gary Edwards' newly-installed up-tempo style, outlasted Morris College 147-138, Monday night (Nov. 19) in non-conference men's basketball action.

FMU improves to 23-20 all-time in season openers and 27-16 in home openers, but the team's record book will need to be updated.  The Patriots set single-game marks for points scored (147), points scored in a half (broken in both halfs), most combined points for both teams (285), most field goals made (50), most three-pointers made (18) and attempted (46), and most players scoring in double figures (7).

Junior 6-0 guard Chris Rhodes became the first Patriot to ever score 20 points, he had 24, and register double-figure assists, he had 12.  Sophomore swingman Dustin Jones tallied 23 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while junior guard Evrik Gary scored 19, junior swingman Markcus Falley 15, junior 6-8 forward Nequan Melvin 13, junior guard Tyler Deihl 12, and junior 6-8 forward Alex Tucker 10.  Melvin led the Patriots with 10 rebounds.

Senior guard Quantrez Franklin came off the Morris bench to scored 26 points on 11-of-12 shooting before fouling out in only 15 minutes of action.  Junior guard Andreaus Canty tallied 19 points as the Hornets also placed seven players in double figures.  Morris (1-3) came into the game as the third-highest scoring offense in the NAIA.

Morris held a slim lead during the early going and stretched its advantage to nine points at 41-32 after a layup by Frank Jared Charles with 9:10 left before halftime.  Francis Marion then scored 18 of the game's next 22 points over a four-minute span to race to a 50-45 lead. FMU would not trail again. The margin would swell to 73-62 at intermission as the Patriots finished the opening half with 10 made three-pointers.

A 24-11 spurt over the first four minutes of the second stanza pushed FMU's lead to 97-73 with still 16 minutes remaining and sent the crowd of 1,123 into a frenzy.  A three-point play by junior forward Robert Carpenter gave Francis Marion its largest lead of the night at 104-77 with 14:17 left on the clock.

The margin was 26 points at 115-89 with 11:27 remaining when Morris gradually began chipping away at the lead.  A three-point play by Franklin with 2:26 left brought the Hornets to within five at 135-130.  A free throw by point guard Clayton Williams sparked a 7-2 FMU run that pushed the margin back to double figures, 142-132, with just over a minute remaining.

Francis Marion shot 54.5 percent in the second half and an even 50 percent (50-of-100) for the game.  FMU forced 34 Morris turnovers that resulted in 46 points for the Patriots.  FMU also led 86-74 in points off the bench.

Francis Marion will play host to its annual Zaxby's Tip-Off Clazzic this weekend, playing St. Andrews University on Saturday at 3 p.m. and Coker College on Sunday at 3 p.m.  UNC Pembroke is the fourth team in the event and will play at 1 p.m. on both days.

The previous high-point game for the Patriots was a 122-108 victory over Shaw University on Jan. 13, 1987.

11/19/12 7 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
FRANCIS MARION UNIV. 147, MORRIS COLLEGE 138

MORRIS COLLEGE (1-3)
Quantrez Franklin 11-12 3-5 26; Andreaus Canty 9-20 1-3 19; Adrian Coard 8-9
2-3 18; Derrick Williams 7-14 2-2 16; Justin Akieme 5-6 5-5 15; Clinton
Chisolm 5-8 0-0 12; Frank Jared Charles 4-10 1-2 12; Avery Johnson 3-8 2-3
9; Xavious Twymon 2-3 1-1 5; Jonathan Parham 1-2 2-2 4; John Maurice Nelson
1-2 0-0 2; Lewis Fordjour 0-1 0-0 0; Michael Bryant 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 56-96
19-26 138.
FRANCIS MARION UNIV. (1-0)
Chris Rhodes 8-9 7-9 24; Dustin Jones 8-13 4-4 23; Evrik Gary 4-10 8-8 19;
Markcus Falley 5-9 1-1 15; Nequan Melvin 6-9 1-1 13; Tyler Deihl 4-13 2-2
12; Alex Tucker 5-8 0-0 10; Clayton Williams 3-8 1-3 9; Mi'Kyel Nero 3-3 2-2
9; Robert Carpenter 2-5 3-6 8; Sam Caron 1-3 0-0 3; Storm Clonch 1-4 0-2 2;
Cameron Lee 0-4 0-0 0; AJ Caldwell 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 50-100 29-38 147.
Halftime: Francis Marion 73 Morris 62
3-point goals--Morris College 7-26 (Frank Jared Charles 3-8; Clinton Chisolm
2-2; Quantrez Franklin 1-1; Avery Johnson 1-3; Lewis Fordjour 0-1; Derrick
Williams 0-4; Adrian Coard 0-1; Andreaus Canty 0-6), Francis Marion Univ.
18-46 (Markcus Falley 4-7; Evrik Gary 3-7; Dustin Jones 3-6; Clayton
Williams 2-5; Tyler Deihl 2-8; Chris Rhodes 1-2; Sam Caron 1-2; Robert
Carpenter 1-2; Mi'Kyel Nero 1-1; Cameron Lee 0-4; AJ Caldwell 0-1; Storm
Clonch 0-1). Fouled out--Morris College-Justin Akieme; Quantrez Franklin,
Francis Marion Univ.-None. Rebounds--Morris College 48 (Derrick Williams 6),
Francis Marion Univ. 48 (Nequan Melvin 10). Assists--Morris College 39
(Clinton Chisolm 9), Francis Marion Univ. 32 (Chris Rhodes 12). Total
fouls--Morris College 30, Francis Marion Univ. 23. Technical fouls--
Francis Marion Bench, Gary.  A-1123