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FLORENCE, SC – Francis Marion University junior guard Evrik Gary scored a team-high 18 points, but the Patriots shot only 21 percent in the second half and allowed USC Aiken to pull away for a 108-79 victory, Monday night (Dec. 17) in Peach Belt Conference men's basketball action.

Francis Marion ends its pre-Christmas portion of the schedule with a 4-3 overall mark and an 0-2 record in conference play.  The Patriots will return to action with a non-conference tilt against Elizabeth City State University on Sunday, Dec. 30, at 2 p.m. in the Smith University Center.

Gary connected on 8-of-16 field goal tries and also hauled down six rebounds.  Sophomore point guard Clayton Williams tallied 12 points and three assists, while sophomore swingman Dustin Jones added 10 points off the bench.

USCA (5-2, 2-0) had three players score over 20 points, led by Santoine Butler and Paul Larsen with career-highs of 27 and 25 points respectively. Larsen also claimed a game-high 13 rebounds.  Ronald Zimmerman, the national leader in three-pointers made per game, scored 22 and was 6-fo-14 from long range.

The first part of the game was tightly contested. FMU took an 18-16 advantage on a fast-break three-pointer by Williams with 12:43 left before halftime.  USCA then reeled off nine straight points to take the lead for good at 25-18.

The margin extended to 15 points, at 45-30, with 6:38 on the clock before the Patriots rallied.  A pair of free throws by freshman forward Storm Clonch capped a 16-6 spurt by FMU that trimmed the deficit to 51-46.  The Pacers held a 63-56 lead at halftime.

The margin quickly grew to double figures as USCA scored the first six points of the second half.  Another fast-break three-pointer by Williams cut the advantage back to seven points, 70-63, with 14:21 left in the game, but the Pacers answered with an 8-0 run to push the lead to 78-63.

The deficit grew to 88-70 as FMU misfired on 18 of its first 23 field goal attempts after intermission.

After shooting 46.7 percent over the opening 20 minutes, including 9-of-20 from behind the three-point arc, Francis Marion cooled off to 20.5 percent in the second stanza, including just 3-of-15 from deep.

12/17/12 7:30 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
USC AIKEN 108, FRANCIS MARION UNIV. 79

USC AIKEN (5-2, 2-0 PBC)
Santoine Butler 10-14 7-8 27; Paul Larsen 9-12 7-11 25; Ronald Zimmerman
6-16 4-4 22; Re'mon Nelson 2-10 9-10 14; Shane Porchea 3-3 3-4 9; Kinley
Branch 3-10 0-0 6; Grant Harris 1-4 0-0 3; Derrick Scott 0-0 2-2 2; Victor
Bowden 0-0 0-0 0; Jesse Seilern 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 34-70 32-39 108.
FRANCIS MARION UNIV. (4-3, 0-2 PBC)
Evrik Gary 8-16 0-0 18; Clayton Williams 4-6 0-0 12; Dustin Jones 4-13 1-1
10; Robert Carpenter 2-5 4-4 9; Nequan Melvin 3-9 2-4 8; Chris Rhodes 3-6
0-0 7; Storm Clonch 2-6 2-2 7; Tyler Deihl 2-5 0-0 6; Cameron Lee 1-12 0-0
2; Alex Tucker 0-0 0-0 0; Sam Caron 0-1 0-0 0; Mi'Kyel Nero 0-5 0-0 0; AJ
Caldwell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-84 9-11 79.
Halftime: USC Aiken 63 Francis Marion 56
3-point goals--USC Aiken 8-21 (Ronald Zimmerman 6-14; Re'mon Nelson 1-2;
Grant Harris 1-2; Kinley Branch 0-3), Francis Marion Univ. 12-35 (Clayton
Williams 4-4; Evrik Gary 2-6; Tyler Deihl 2-5; Robert Carpenter 1-3; Chris
Rhodes 1-1; Dustin Jones 1-7; Storm Clonch 1-3; Mi'Kyel Nero 0-1; Cameron
Lee 0-5). Fouled out--USC Aiken-None, Francis Marion Univ.-Nequan Melvin.
Rebounds--USC Aiken 53 (Paul Larsen 13), Francis Marion Univ. 39 (Storm
Clonch 7). Assists--USC Aiken 28 (Re'mon Nelson 10), Francis Marion Univ. 15
(Robert Carpenter 3; Clayton Williams 3). Total fouls--USC Aiken 16, Francis
Marion Univ. 30. Technical fouls--None. A-628