Box Score FLORENCE, SC – Francis Marion University failed to convert a scoop shot in the lane in the dying seconds and the Patriots dropped a 76-74 decision to GRU Augusta on Monday night (Jan. 5), the Patriots' third heart-breaking last-second loss in as many Peach Belt Conference home games.
Francis Marion falls to 7-5 overall and 0-4 in the PBC. The Patriots will play host to Flagler College on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
FMU freshman point guard Detrek Browning scored a career-high 27 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and registered five steals, while junior forward Dii'Jon Allen-Jordan tallied 21 points. Freshman guard Mike Davis Jr. chipped in 11 points.
Sophomore guard Keshun Sherrill led GRU Augusta (10-3, 2-2) with 23 points, while senior forward Devon Wright-Nelson added 14 points as five Jaguars scored in double figures.
The game featured 16 lead changes and seven ties.
Trailing 72-70 with two minutes to play, the Patriots rallied with a tip-in by junior
David Jerome and a layup from Browning to take a 74-72 advantage with 1:18 on the clock. The Jaguars knotted the contest at 74-74 when Wight-Nelson scored on a jumper with 1:04 remaining. On the ensuing possession, FMU turned the ball over and GRU Augusta got two shots at the basket before 6-9 senior center Henry McCarthy scored on a tip-in with 12 ticks left.
Following a pair of Francis Marion timeouts, the Patriots inbounded the ball and were unable to hit on a shot in the lane as the horn sounded.
GRU Augusta opened the game with a 12-3 spurt only to have Francis Marion answer with a 12-2 run. The Jaguars did open a five-point advantage at 27-22, but the Patriots led 34-33 at halftime thanks to a late Browning layup.
The Jaguars sprinted to a 51-43 lead early in the second stanza, but FMU responded with a 7-0 spurt to knot the contest at 56-56.
FMU shot 44.4 percent from the field, was 5-of-15 behind the three-point arc, and drained 13-of-18 free throw attempts, while GRU Augusta shot 52.7 percent, including 4-of-16 from long distance, and was 14-of-19 at the charity stripe.
1-5-15 8:05 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
GRU AUGUSTA 76, FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 74
GRU AUGUSTA (10-3, 2-2 PBC)
Keshun Sherrill 8-13 6-8 23; Devon Wright-Nelson 7-14 0-2 14; Henry McCarthy
5-7 2-2 12; Devonte Thomas 4-9 0-1 11; Keith Crump 4-9 2-2 10; D'Angelo
Boyce 1-2 4-4 6; Tamyrik Fields 0-0 0-0 0; Kelvin Howard 0-0 0-0 0; Michael
Graham 0-0 0-0 0; Vlad Cobzaru 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-55 14-19 76.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (7-5 , 0-4 PBC)
Detrek Browning 11-20 4-4 27; Dii'Jon Allen-Jordan 7-20 7-8 21; Mike Davis
Jr. 4-13 0-0 11; Trevonte Dixon 3-3 0-0 6; David Jerome 2-4 1-2 5; Dustin
Jones 1-2 0-0 3; Judah Alexander 0-0 1-2 1; A.J. Jackson 0-1 0-2 0; David
Brown 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-63 13-18 74.
Halftime: Francis Marion 34 GRU Augusta 33
3-point goals--GRU Augusta 4-16 (Devonte Thomas 3-6; Keshun Sherrill 1-3;
Keith Crump 0-3; D'Angelo Boyce 0-1; Devon Wright-Nelson 0-3), Francis
Marion University 5-15 (Mike Davis Jr. 3-8; Dustin Jones 1-1; Detrek
Browning 1-5; A.J. Jackson 0-1). Fouled out--GRU Augusta-None, Francis
Marion University-None. Rebounds--GRU Augusta 35 (Henry McCarthy 10),
Francis Marion University 29 (Detrek Browning 7). Assists--GRU Augusta 19
(D'Angelo Boyce 7), Francis Marion University 9 (Detrek Browning 2; Mike
Davis Jr. 2; Trevonte Dixon 2). Total fouls--GRU Augusta 16, Francis Marion
University 19. Technical fouls--GRU Augusta-Devonte Thomas, Francis Marion
University-Trevonte Dixon. A-520
