ST. AUGUSTINE, FL – With four players scoring in double figures, Francis Marion University wiped out more than half of a big second-half deficit, but the Patriots finally succumbed to 21st-ranked Flagler College 90-76, Thursday evening (Feb. 11) in Peach Belt Conference men's basketball action.
 
Francis Marion (3-7, 3-7) will host Lander University on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.  Attendance is limited to 250 and that includes only season ticket holders, FMU students with pre-acquired tickets, and player/staff family members identified on a pre-game pass list. No general admission game-day tickets will be sold.
 
Senior swingman Holden Redparth led Francis Marion with 26 points and seven rebounds, while junior Langston Gaither scored 20 and pilfered four steals.  Sophomore forward Darius Dawson added 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and freshman guard Ja'Von Anderson equaled his career high with 11 points.
 
Jaizee Lottie paced the Saints (9-2, 7-1) with 33 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, while Chris Metzger registered 20 points and nine rebounds.
 
Flagler scored the game's first five points and never trailed in the contest.  The margin was nine at 22-13, but FMU rallied to trim the deficit to 33-31 on a three-pointer by Dawson with 5:28 left before halftime.  The Saints then accounted for 20 of the game's next 27 points to own a 53-38 halftime advantage.  Flagler shot 64 percent from the floor over the opening 20 minutes.
 
The Saints then tallied the opening two buckets of the second half. Francis Marion pulled within 59-44 on a lay-in by Redparth, but Flagler responded with a 12-0 run to push the margin to 27 points.
 
FMU countered with its own 13-0 run to cut into the lead and two free throws by Anderson brought the Patriots to within 80-68 with still 4:22 remaining.  Two more free throws by Gaither at the 3:58 mark got Francis Marion as close as 11 points at 81-70.
 
Francis Marion connected on 39.1 percent of its field goal attempts, including 11 made three-pointers, and the Patriots were 15-of-20 at the foul line.  Flagler finished the game shooting 58.1 percent, including 10 made shots from beyond the arc.
 
 
02/11/21 4:30 p.m. at St. Augustine, Fla. (Flagler Gym)
#21 FLAGLER 90, FRANCIS MARION 76
FRANCIS MARION (3-7, 3-7 PBC)
Holden Redparth 9-18 4-6 26; Langston Gaither 5-18 9-11 20; Darius Dawson
6-7 0-0 14; Ja'Von Anderson 3-6 2-2 11; Uhana Ochan 1-4 0-0 3; Alex Cox 1-6
0-1 2; Jamal Edmonson 0-2 0-0 0; Julius Raudonius 0-2 0-0 0; Ben Jones 0-1
0-0 0. Totals 25-64 15-20 76.
FLAGLER (9-2, 7-1 PBC)
Jaizec Lottie 11-19 7-12 33; Chris Metzger 10-13 0-0 20; Jalen Barr 5-9 0-3
11; Derrick Ellis, Jr. 5-6 0-0 10; Spencer Bain 3-8 0-0 9; Tyler Collier 1-3
1-2 4; Lawrence Slim 1-2 0-0 3; Chase Fiddler 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 36-62 8-17 90.
Halftime: Flagler 53 Francis Marion 38
3-point goals--Francis Marion 11-30 (Holden Redparth 4-10; Ja'Von Anderson
3-5; Darius Dawson 2-3; Langston Gaither 1-6; Uhana Ochan 1-2; Ben Jones
0-1; Jamal Edmonson 0-1; Alex Cox 0-2), Flagler 10-25 (Jaizec Lottie 4-9;
Spencer Bain 3-7; Jalen Barr 1-2; Tyler Collier 1-3; Lawrence Slim 1-2;
Chase Fiddler 0-2). Fouled out--Francis Marion-None, Flagler-None.
Rebounds--Francis Marion 32 (Alex Cox 7; Holden Redparth 7), Flagler 40
(Jalen Barr 11). Assists--Francis Marion 15 (Alex Cox 5), Flagler 21 (Jaizec
Lottie 7). Total fouls--Francis Marion 18, Flagler 15. Technical
fouls--Francis Marion-Team. A-50