HARTSVILLE, SC – Fifth-year senior forward Marlow Gilmore Jr. tallied 25 points and nine rebounds to help rally Francis Marion University in its 123-114 victory over Coker University on Wednesday (Nov. 15) night in men's basketball play.
 
The Patriots will step back on to the court on Friday (Nov. 17) for a 7 p.m. tip-off at the University of Tampa, followed by a Saturday afternoon contest at Saint Leo University.
 
FMU junior guard Farid SaintCyr Jr. posted a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. SaintCyr Jr. ties his career high for points and sets a new high for rebounds.
 
Fifth-year senior guard Tionne Rollins was the second Patriot of the night to tally a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. Fifth-year senior forward Bryce Beamer shot 7-of-10 from the field for 17 points.  Freshman guard Horace Jacques Jr. continues to prove his maturity in the game, tallying 13 points of his own.
 
Adding on another 11 points was red-shirt freshman Willie Patterson III, along with six rebounds against the Cobras.  The final Patriot to post double-digit points for the night was sophomore forward Chandler O'Bannon who registered 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
 
Posting 70 points in the second half, it is only the seventh time in program history Francis Marion has scored 70 or more points in one half.
 
Francis Marion's (2-1) 62.3 field goal percentage is the team's highest in nine seasons, and the Patriots set their fourth highest point total in school history, behind only a 150-76 win over Barber-Scotia College, a 147-138 win over Morris College, and a 132-120 victory over St. Andrews University – all recorded during the 2012-13 season.
 
The 237 combined points is the highest scoring game by a wide margin in the long-time series with Coker that dates back to 1973.  The previous high game was 184 points in a 104-80 FMU win in 1978. The seven players scoring in double figures ties the school record, previously done twice before, in 2019 and 2012.
 
Tate Mulkey paced the Cobras with 25 points, with his point total accumulating from 7-of-12 from beyond the three-point line.
 
Despite a slow first half from the Patriots and a 14-point lead by Coker, Francis Marion fought their way back to within 58-53 at halftime. With urging from head coach Jake Zehnder, FMU came into the second half hot. Gilmore Jr. threw down several dunks to elevate the team. The Patriots battled for every ball, with rebounds keeping FMU in the game.
 
 
11/15/23 7:30 pm at Hartsville, SC
FRANCIS MARION 123, COKER 114
FRANCIS MARION (2-1)
Marlow Gilmore Jr. 8-13 9-16 25; Farid SaintCyr Jr. 9-13 4-9 23; Bryce
Beamer 7-10 1-3 17; Horaces Jacques Jr. 6-9 0-0 13; Tionne Rollins 5-8 2-2
12; Willie Patterson III 3-8 5-8 11; Chandler O'Bannon 5-7 0-2 10; Ibrahim
Wattara 4-7 0-0 8; Adonis Cole 1-2 1-2 3; Matthew Lee 0-0 1-2 1; Niko
Noumeros 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 48-77 23-44 123.
COKER (1-2)
Tate Mulkey 8-14 2-3 25; Mahmoud Bangura 8-12 8-8 24; Andre Leavell 6-17
7-18 19; Jaylen Ray 5-12 6-8 18; Marvin Brumfield 3-9 1-3 9; Glenn Bynum 3-9
1-1 8; Demar Anderson 3-8 1-1 7; Anthony Burch 0-2 4-6 4; Caleb Pratt 0-1
0-0 0; Ian Blue 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 36-87 30-48 114.
Francis Marion...........   53   70  -  123
Coker.........................   63   51  -  114
3-point goals--Francis Marion 4-12 (Bryce Beamer 2-3; Farid SaintCyr Jr.
1-5; Horaces Jacques Jr. 1-2; Tionne Rollins 0-2), Coker 12-37 (Tate Mulkey
7-12; Jaylen Ray 2-3; Marvin Brumfield 2-6; Glenn Bynum 1-5; Anthony Burch
0-2; Ian Blue 0-3; Demar Anderson 0-3; Andre Leavell 0-2; Mahmoud Bangura
0-1). Fouled out--Francis Marion-None, Coker-Mahmoud Bangura; Marvin
Brumfield; Demar Anderson. Rebounds--Francis Marion 49 (Farid SaintCyr Jr.
12), Coker 39 (Mahmoud Bangura 13). Assists--Francis Marion 21 (Tionne
Rollins 10), Coker 19 (Andre Leavell 12). Total fouls--Francis Marion 32,
Coker 32. Technical fouls--Francis Marion-Marlow Gilmore Jr., Coker-Jaylen
Ray. A-87