AIKEN, SC — A last-second three-point attempt came up short and the Francis Marion University men's basketball team fell to USC Aiken 73-70 on Saturday (Feb. 20) in Peach Belt Conference men's basketball action.
 
Francis Marion (3-9, 3-9) will return to action at home on Wednesday night (Feb. 24) at 7:30 p.m. against Augusta University. 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.
 
Junior forward Langston Gaither, the nation's eighth-leading scorer, led FMU with 20 points, six rebounds, and two assists. He shot 9-of-18 from the field, including two three-pointers. 
 
He was followed by his counterpart Holden Redparth who logged 19 points, nine rebounds, and three steals. Redparth shot 6-of-16 from the field and knocked down 6-of-8 from the charity stripe.
 
Patriot junior forward Uhana Ochan added a career-high 13 points and nine rebounds, while freshman guard Ja'Von Anderson contributed eight points.
 
USC Aiken (9-5, 8-4) was led by senior forward Anyeuri Castillo with a 17 point, 10 rebound double-double, and sophomore guard Donaven Hairston with 17 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Senior guard Gus Rowland added 16 points.
 
The Pacers were first on the board, however the Patriots responded with a six-minute 12-0 run to take a 12-2 lead. USC Aiken didn't back down and battled back in the game with a 15-6 run to draw within one at 18-17. FMU then built its lead back up to five, 24-19, but USCA deadlocked things at 26 apiece with 5:00 remaining in the first half. The Pacers closed out the half going on an 18-9 run to take a nine-point lead, 44-35, into the locker room.
 
Francis Marion came out of the locker room and immediately chipped away at the USC Aiken lead. The Patriots held the Pacers to just one basket in the first five minutes of the second half, going on an 11-2 run and narrowing the lead to two at 48-46. FMU continued to battle back thanks to a three-pointer by Anderson to draw with one, 50-49. Then a quick steal by Anderson and a layup by junior guard Alex Cox gave the Patriots a 51-50 lead with 13:53 remaining.
 
Both squads continued to battle before heading into the under-12 media timeout knotted up at 55-55. USCA and FMU proceeded to trade long-balls before spending the next three minutes of play scoreless. The Pacers broke the scoreless streak and quickly built a 64-61 lead thanks to a couple of Patriot turnovers, but a quick jumper and layup by sophomore forward Darius Dawson gave Francis Marion a 65-64 lead with 3:17 remaining. A three-pointer by Castillo and a steal and layup by Rowland gave the Pacers a 69-65 lead. 
 
The Patriots responded with a deep three by Gaither and a layup by Cox to gain a 70-69 lead with 59 seconds remaining. A blocked shot by Castillo led to a USC Aiken fast break that gave freshman guard Jalen McCoy a chance to give Aiken the lead from the free throw stripe with 17.5 seconds left. After knocking down both free throws, a Patriot turnover gave the Pacers the ball with seven seconds left, and sophomore guard Tehree Horn added two more free throws for the Pacers giving them a three-point lead (73-70) with 6.8 seconds left. FMU had a chance to force overtime, but a Gaither three-ball fell just short.
 
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.
 
 
2/20/21 3:30 p.m. at Aiken, S.C. (Convocation Center)
USCA 73, FRANCIS MARION 70
FRANCIS MARION (3-9; 3-9)
Langston Gaither 9-18 0-3 20; Holden Redparth 6-16 6-8 19; Uhana Ochan 5-10
1-1 13; Ja'Von Anderson 3-4 0-0 8; Darius Dawson 3-9 0-0 6; Alex Cox 2-7 0-0
4; Ben Jones 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-65 7-12 70.
USCA (9-5; 8-4)
Donaven Hairston 4-7 7-9 17; Anyeuri Castillo 6-16 2-3 17; Gus Rowland 6-10
1-2 16; Jalen McCoy 2-6 2-4 6; Tyler Johnson 2-8 0-0 6; Latreavin Black 3-6
0-0 6; Tehree Horn 1-4 2-2 5; Ryan Missildine 0-1 0-0 0; Quincy Canty 0-1
0-0 0; Darius Bell 0-1 0-0 0; Damontez Oliver 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-62 14-20 73.
HALFTIME: USCA 44 FMU 35
3-point goals--Francis Marion 7-26 (Uhana Ochan 2-3; Ja'Von Anderson 2-3;
Langston Gaither 2-7; Holden Redparth 1-6; Ben Jones 0-1; Alex Cox 0-3;
Darius Dawson 0-3), USCA 11-33 (Anyeuri Castillo 3-12; Gus Rowland 3-5;
Tyler Johnson 2-6; Donaven Hairston 2-3; Tehree Horn 1-3; Quincy Canty 0-1;
Damontez Oliver 0-2; Jalen McCoy 0-1). Fouled out--Francis Marion-Darius
Dawson, USCA-None. Rebounds--Francis Marion 41 (Holden Redparth 9; Uhana
Ochan 9), USCA 40 (Anyeuri Castillo 10). Assists--Francis Marion 10 (Alex
Cox 3), USCA 10 (Gus Rowland 5). Total fouls--Francis Marion 20, USCA 14.
Technical fouls--None. A-291