AIKEN, SC – USC Aiken's Dominic Early made two free throws with 13.6 seconds left and Francis Marion University then missed two shots in the final seconds as the Pacers escaped with a 74-72 win over the tough-luck Patriots, Saturday evening (Jan. 24) in Peach Belt Conference men's basketball action.

Francis Marion (9-10, 1-9) will play host to Lander University on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. on Faculty Appreciation Night and International Student Recognition Night. Of FMU's nine conference losses, eight have been one possession games in the final minute and the defeats have come by a combined 40 points.

Junior Dii'Jon Allen-Jordan came off the bench in a reserve role for the first time this season and he paced the Patriots with 21 points and seven rebounds.  Freshman swingman Mike Davis Jr. scored 15 points before fouling out – one of three Patriots to be disqualified.

FMU freshman point guard Detrek Browning, NCAA Division II's top freshman scorer, added 12 points, while freshman center Judah Alexander chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds.

Early came off the Pacer bench and tallied 19 points and nine rebounds as USCA improved to 10-9 and 5-5.

A three-point play by Allen-Jordan off an offensive rebound knotted the game at 69-69 with 1:39 left.  Three USCA free throws over two possessions gave the Pacers a 72-69 advantage, but Browning tied the contest at 72-72 on a three-pointer with 46.8 ticks left on the clock.

Early was then fouled going to the rim as the shot clock was near expiration and he made both charity tosses.  Following a timeout with four seconds remaining, both Allen-Jordan and senior Dustin Jones had opportunities to force overtime, but neither could convert before the horn sounded.

Francis Marion shot 40.3 percent from the floor, including 6-of-15 from three-point range, while USCA connected on 42 percent of its field goal attempts, including 7-of-23 from beyond the arc.  However, the Pacers were 25-of-33 at the foul line, including 20-of-27 over the final 17:12, while FMU was only 12-of-23.

USC Aiken broke a 9-9 deadlock in the opening half with an 11-2 spurt.  The Patriots trailed 24-16, but rallied to within 26-23 before leaving for the locker room at halftime trailing 33-27.

Francis Marion tied the game again at 48-48 on a three-point play by Browning and moments later took its first lead on a fast-break three-pointer by Jones.