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PEMBROKE, NC- A potential game-tying three-point attempt by senior guard Marcus Wright rimmed out as a valiant Francis Marion University rally fell just short in an 88-85 Peach Belt Conference loss at UNC Pembroke on Wednesday night (Feb. 15).

The loss drops FMU to 14-11 overall and 7-8 in the PBC, while UNCP improves to 15-10 and 9-6.  The Patriots will celebrate Homecoming on Saturday when they host Flagler College for a 3:30 p.m. tip-off.

Wright led the Patriots with a career-high 23 points, including 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the three-point arc.  Senior Liki Turner registered 18 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore guard Evrik Gary scored 15, junior guard Darryn Frazier 11, and senior 6-10 center Andrew Smith 10.  Turner surpassed 900 career rebounds during the game and now has 906.

Marcus Heath came off the UNCP bench to lead five Braves in double figures with 18 points.

Francis Marion would lead only once, at 14-13 on a layup by Frazier.  UNCP led 38-31 at intermission.

The margin would grow to 16 points at 66-50 after two Heath free throws with 9:40 left in the contest.  FMU rallied with a 20-6 run to close to within 72-70 following a three-pointer by Turner with 5:44 remaining.

A three-pointer by Frazier further trimmed the deficit to 82-81 with 2:20 on the clock.  A layup by Gary brought the Patriots to within 87-85 with 21 ticks left, but Mike Robinson made one of two free throws with 11 seconds on the clock to push UNCP up 88-85.

On the ensuing possession, Wright had a decent look from near the top of the key, but the shot would not fall and Robinson rebounded the miss to end the game.

Both teams shot an identical 29-of-62 from the floor and Francis Marion made five more three-pointers than did the Braves.  However, UNCP shot 24-of-29 at the charity stripe compared to FMU's 16-of-20.

2-15-12 7:30 p.m. at Pembroke, N.C./English E. Jones Center
UNCP 88, FRANCIS MARION 85

FRANCIS MARION (14-11, 7-8 PBC)
Marcus Wright 6-12 6-6 23; Liki Turner 6-16 4-6 18; Evrik Gary 5-11 5-6 15;
Darryn Frazier 4-6 0-0 11; Andrew Smith 5-9 0-0 10; Zamarius McLendon 2-6
1-2 6; Marcel Williams 1-1 0-0 2; AJ Caldwell 0-0 0-0 0; Maurice Grant 0-1
0-0 0; Derek Hosey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-62 16-20 85.
UNCP (15-10, 9-6 PBC)
Marcus Heath 4-10 6-6 18; Ben Jacobs 7-9 0-0 14; Shahmel Brackett 3-11 6-7
13; George Blakeney 4-5 5-7 13; K.J. Cooper 4-11 3-4 11; Mike Robinson 2-5
3-4 7; Griffin Pittman 2-4 0-0 4; Ty Alston 1-3 0-0 3; Nathan Priest 1-2 1-1
3; Miguel Starkey 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 29-62 24-29 88.
Halftime: UNCP 38 Francis Marion 31
3-point goals--Francis Marion 11-24 (Marcus Wright 5-8; Darryn Frazier 3-5;
Liki Turner 2-5; Zamarius McLendon 1-4; Evrik Gary 0-2), UNCP 6-15 (Marcus
Heath 4-6; Shahmel Brackett 1-5; Ty Alston 1-1; K.J. Cooper 0-3). Fouled
out--Francis Marion-None, UNCP-None. Rebounds--Francis Marion 37 (Liki
Turner 9), UNCP 33 (George Blakeney 6). Assists--Francis Marion 12 (Marcus
Wright 3; Liki Turner 3), UNCP 15 (K.J. Cooper 5). Total fouls--Francis
Marion 21, UNCP 15. Technical fouls--Francis Marion-None, UNCP-TEAM. A-1323