SPARTANBURG, SC – Francis Marion University senior guard Tionne Rollins scored a game-high 29 points, but the Patriots succumbed to a pair of second-half runs by Converse University and dropped an 87-77 Conference Carolinas decision, Wednesday night (Dec. 14) in men's basketball action.
 
Francis Marion, playing for the first time in 11 days following final exams, falls to 5-4 overall and 3-1 in conference play.  FMU will play at Erskine College on Saturday at 4 p.m. in its final pre-Christmas contest.
 
Rollins nailed nine of his 17 field goal attempts, including 6-of-11 from three-point range. Senior forward Bryce Beamer posted his second double-double as a Patriot with 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.  Sophomore swingman Nick Silva chipped in nine points off the FMU bench.
 
Nygel Boozer's 20 points led the Valkyries (6-5, 4-1), who win for the fifth straight time.  Guard Uzziah Dawkins added 16 points and nine assists.
 
Francis Marion connected on only half of its 26 free throw attempts, while Converse shot 23-of-31 at the charity stripe.
 
The first half was tightly contested, featuring eight lead changes and five ties, with the largest margin being five points.  Converse left the floor at halftime holding a narrow 36-35 advantage.
 
Five quick points to open the second stanza – a lay-in by point guard Doug Alves and a three-pointer by Rollins – propelled FMU to a 40-37 lead.  Converse rallied to knot the score at 42-42.
 
Senior Alex Cox hit a floater in the lane to give the Patriots their final lead of the night at 44-42 with 16:01 remaining.  Converse answered with nine consecutive points to lead 51-44.  The lead was stretched to 55-46 after two free throws by Bosko Bojovic with 8:56 on the clock.
 
Rollins capped a 10-4 FMU rally with three free throws that trimmed the deficit to one possession at 59-56 with 6:23 left.  However, the Valkyries responded with a 10-0 run to take an insurmountable 69-56 lead.
 
Francis Marion shot 45.6 percent from the floor, including 8-of-21 from behind the three-point arc, while Converse connected on 45.6 percent of its shots, including 12-of-28 from long range. 
 
FMU registered a 44-33 rebounding advantage and held a 9-1 edge in second-chance points.
 
 
12/14/22 7:30 pm at Spartanburg, SC
CONVERSE 87, FRANCIS MARION 77
FRANCIS MARION (5-4, 3-1)
Tionne Rollins 9-17 5-5 29; Bryce Beamer 8-13 1-3 17; Nick Silva 2-3 5-11 9;
Yohan-Steve Yebga 3-4 1-3 8; Doug Alves 2-4 1-2 6; Jonah Pierce 2-5 0-2 4;
Alex Cox 2-11 0-0 4; Austin Harrell 0-0 0-0 0; Darius Jones 0-4 0-0 0;
Asante Turner 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-61 13-26 77.
CONVERSE (6-5, 4-1)
Nygel Boozer 7-12 2-2 20; Uzziah Dawkins 3-10 9-12 16; Bosko Bojovic 4-5 4-6
12; Jordan Warlick 4-10 0-0 10; Sigurd Lorange 3-5 0-0 9; Earl Burgess III
3-6 1-3 7; Jay Mitchell 1-3 4-4 7; Aaron Porcil 1-4 3-4 6; Elijah Pitts 0-1
0-0 0; Trey Smith 0-1 0-0 0; Kevin Vance 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-57 23-31 87.
Halftime: Converse 36 Francis Marion 35
3-point goals--Francis Marion 8-21 (Tionne Rollins 6-11; Doug Alves 1-2;
Yohan-Steve Yebga 1-1; Alex Cox 0-2; Darius Jones 0-1; Bryce Beamer 0-4),
Converse 12-28 (Nygel Boozer 4-7; Sigurd Lorange 3-4; Jordan Warlick 2-7;
Aaron Porcil 1-2; Uzziah Dawkins 1-4; Jay Mitchell 1-2; Elijah Pitts 0-1;
Trey Smith 0-1). Fouled out--Francis Marion-Alex Cox; Doug Alves,
Converse-Jordan Warlick; Earl Burgess III. Rebounds--Francis Marion 44
(Bryce Beamer 13), Converse 33 (Jordan Warlick 8). Assists--Francis Marion
11 (Doug Alves 4), Converse 18 (Uzziah Dawkins 9). Total fouls--Francis
Marion 25, Converse 23. Technical fouls--None. A-200