FLORENCE, S.C. — The Francis Marion University men's basketball team fell just short 82-80 in a back-and-forth battle in the Smith University Center against Peach Belt Conference rival UNC Pembroke, Wednesday evening (Jan. 27). Strong second-half performances by senior guard Holden Redparth and junior swingman Alex Cox gave the Patriots life, but the Braves closed the door after late FMU turnovers.
 
Francis Marion (3-4, 3-4) will play its next two games on the road at Columbus State University on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and at Augusta University on Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. The next home contest for the Patriots will be against Clayton State University on Feb. 6 at 5 p.m. 
 
The Patriots had four players score in double-figure. Redparth, a Rockville, Md., native, led FMU with his first career double-double, tallying 24 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists. He was 7-of-15 from the field, including 3-of-8 from behind the arc, while shooting a perfect 7-of-7 at the free-throw line. 
 
His counterpart, junior Langston Gaither, was next among Patriot scorers with 22 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. He shot 50 percent (8-of-16) from the field, including 3-of-7 from long range, and was 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. He currently ranks No. 2 in the PBC, and No. 5 nationally in scoring (23.6 ppg).
 
Cox, the PBC leader in minutes played, logged 16 points, 11 coming in the second half. He was 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. Freshman guard Ja'Von Anderson had a career-high 11 points, shooting 3-of-5 from behind the arc.
 
UNC Pembroke (3-3, 3-2) had five players score in double figures. Senior forward Spencer Levi led the Braves with an 18 point, 14 rebound double-double. He was followed by Cortez Marion-Holmes with 16 points, Malik Sanders 13 points, Trenton McIntyre 12, and Jordan Ratliffe 11.
 
FMU jumped out to an early lead and led by as many as seven, 25-18, after Redparth drained a three-ball with 6:24 left in the opening half. UNCP answered with a four-minute 11-0 run that eventually gave the Braves a 32-27 lead. The Patriots chipped into that lead, and thanks to a Gaither triple at the halftime horn, entered the locker room down only 34-33.
 
The Braves came out of the locker room and quickly jumped out to a seven-point lead. The margin swelled to 59-48 with 11:50 remaining. The Patriots chipped into the Braves' lead, but UNCP seemed to always have an answer.  However, a 17-8 run by FMU knotted the game up 67-67 with 6:35 to go. 
 
Francis Marion found itself with a three-point, 73-70, lead with 4:56 remaining after an Anderson three-pointer. Five straight points regained the lead for UNCP, and costly turnovers and fouls in the final minutes let the Braves survive in the Battle of I-95.  Francis Marion did have a chance to knot the score at 81 in the final minute, but a corner three-pointer rimmed out.
 
FMU knocked down 14 three-pointers on only 27 attempts.
 
For the latest news and updates regarding Francis Marion men's basketball, follow the Patriots on Twitter at @FMUSports, on Facebook at FMUSports, and Instagram at @FMUSports or check out information online at www.fmupatriots.com.
 


01/27/21 7:30 pm at Florence, SC
UNC PEMBROKE 82, FRANCIS MARION 80
UNC PEMBROKE (3-3,3-2 Peach Be)
Spencer Levi 7-10 4-8 18; Cortez Marion-Holmes 8-8 0-1 16; Malik Sanders
4-11 2-2 13; Trenton McIntyre 2-4 7-7 12; Jordan Ratliffe 4-12 2-3 11;
Jayvian Hicks 2-3 0-0 6; Dewan Lesesne 1-2 1-3 3; Nate Dunlop 1-3 0-0 3;
Jelal Williams 0-0 0-0 0; Chris Hill 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-54 16-24 82.
FRANCIS MARION (3-4,3-4 Peach Be)
Holden Redparth 7-15 7-7 24; Langston Gaither 8-16 3-4 22; Alex Cox 6-9 0-0
16; Ja'Von Anderson 4-8 0-0 11; Darius Dawson 2-8 0-2 5; Uhana Ochan 1-2 0-0
2; Jamal Edmonson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 28-60 10-13 80.
UNC Pembroke.................. 34   48  -   82
Francis Marion................   33   47  -   80
3-point goals--UNC Pembroke 8-20 (Malik Sanders 3-10; Jayvian Hicks 2-2;
Nate Dunlop 1-2; Trenton McIntyre 1-1; Jordan Ratliffe 1-5), Francis Marion
14-27 (Alex Cox 4-6; Langston Gaither 3-7; Ja'Von Anderson 3-5; Holden
Redparth 3-8; Darius Dawson 1-1). Fouled out--UNC Pembroke-None, Francis
Marion-Alex Cox. Rebounds--UNC Pembroke 32 (Spencer Levi 14), Francis Marion
31 (Holden Redparth 10). Assists--UNC Pembroke 16 (Trenton McIntyre 6),
Francis Marion 14 (Langston Gaither 6). Total fouls--UNC Pembroke 12,
Francis Marion 20. Technical fouls--None. A-146