Box Score BLUEFIELD, WV – Graduate student Evrik Gary scored a team-high 20 points, all in the second half, to help lead Francis Marion University to an 83-70 non-conference win over Bluefield State College, Thursday night (Dec. 12) in men's basketball action.
The Patriots (3-2) were returning to action after a break for final exams and never trailed in the victory. FMU will play at USC Aiken in a Peach Belt Conference contest, Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Gary also hauled down nine rebounds. Junior 6-10 center Clark Major scored 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds, while sophomore forward Mykel Harris added 17 points and junior swingman Dustin Jones 10 points. Junior point guard David Brown, a transfer from Furman University, scored eight points and handed out seven assists, while committing only one turnover in his first game as a Patriot.
Shakir Dunning led Bluefield State (3-11) with 32 points.
Francis Marion broke a 9-9 deadlock with an 11-0 run. The Patriots would extend their lead to as many as 14 points on several occasions before settling for a 39-28 advantage at halftime.
FMU stretched its margin to 60-41 following a three-pointer by Gary with 12:39 left. The Big Blues responded with a 19-6 spurt that trimmed the Patriot lead to 66-60 with just more than four minutes remaining. However, Gary hit a pair of free throws and Major scored a basket to push the FMU advantage back to double digits at 70-60.
Francis Marion converted 24-of-29 free throws and drained 9-of-14 shots from three-point range.
12-12-13 7 pm at Bluefield, WV
FRANCIS MARION M 83, BLUEFIELD STATE 70
FRANCIS MARION M (3-2)
Evrik Gary 6-13 5-6 20; Clark Major 7-15 4-4 18; Mykel Harris 4-8 7-9 17;
Dustin Jones 3-5 4-5 10; David Brown 2-3 2-2 8; Robert Carpenter 2-7 0-0 6;
Trevonte Dixon 0-1 2-2 2; Alex Bryant 1-1 0-0 2; Tyler Deihl 0-1 0-1 0.
Totals 25-54 24-29 83.
BLUEFIELD STATE (3-11)
Shakir Dunning 8-16 11-14 32; Simeon Denny 4-10 2-2 14; Dominique Cartier
4-13 0-0 8; Treon Claiborne 3-7 0-3 6; Samuel Ouedraogo 3-5 0-1 6; Sergio
Smith 1-6 2-2 4; Joseph Dawkins 0-0 0-0 0; Remar Brothers 0-5 0-0 0; Avery
Holliday 0-0 0-0 0; Staccotta Dickerson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-63 15-22 70.
Halftime: Francis Marion 39 Bluefield State 28
3-point goals--Francis Marion 9-14 (Evrik Gary 3-5; Mykel Harris 2-2;
Robert Carpenter 2-3; David Brown 2-2; Tyler Deihl 0-1; Trevonte Dixon 0-1),
Bluefield State 9-29 (Shakir Dunning 5-9; Simeon Denny 4-9; Treon Claiborne
0-3; Sergio Smith 0-1; Remar Brothers 0-3; Dominique Cartier 0-4). Fouled
out--Francis Marion-Mykel Harris, Bluefield State-Samuel Ouedraogo; Shakir
Dunning. Rebounds--Francis Marion 38 (Evrik Gary 9), Bluefield State 37
(Samuel Ouedraogo 14). Assists--Francis Marion 13 (David Brown 7),
Bluefield State 8 (Treon Claiborne 3). Total fouls--Francis Marion 19,
Bluefield State 25. Technical fouls--None. A-100
