TAMPA, FL – Fifth-year senior forward Bryce Beamer came off the bench to post his first double-double of the season with 28 points and 14 rebounds, but Francis Marion University came up a three-pointer short, falling in double overtime 106-103 to the University of Tampa on Friday (Nov. 17) night.
 
The Patriots (2-2) will be making a quick return to the court on Saturday (Nov. 18) with a 2:30 p.m. tip-off against Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Fla.
 
It was a Homecoming for Beamer who hails from nearby Odessa, Fla.  Following Beamer was fifth-year senior forward Marlow Gilmore Jr., who registered his second double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Other Patriots scoring in double digits were junior forward Ibrahim Wattara (10), sophomore forward Chandler O'Bannon (10), and freshman guard Horaces Jacques Jr. (11).
 
Although the Trojans outrebounded FMU 58-53, the Patriots had a slight edge in points in the paint: putting up 64 to Tampa's 56. Francis Marion also had 22 steals – third-most in program history – and converted 31 Spartan turnovers into 25 points.
 
Francis Marion shot 33.6 percent from the floor on 113 field goal attempts, the second-highest total in program history.  FMU was 23-of-28 at the foul line, while Tampa connected on 49.4 percent of their field goal attempts and was 17-of-29 at the free throw stripe.
 
Amari Davis paced the Spartans (2-1) with 30 points, shooting 10-of-22 from the field.
 
Francis Marion started in a six-point deficit to the Spartans, its first shot falling at 17:29 with a made three-pointer from guard Farid SaintCyr Jr.  Gilmore Jr. laid down several dunks in hopes of changing momentum for FMU and was successful in his efforts.
 
Despite the Patriots trailing for the first 15 minutes of the opening half, they closed the 10-point gap on Tampa and knotted the score at 30-30 on a lay-up from Beamer. Beamer connected on a last-second three-pointer to tie the contest (41-41) just before halftime.
 
Coming into the second half, both teams went scoreless for the first two minutes.  Tony Jaxon of Tampa was the first to sink a shot, and the Spartans eventually extended their lead to seven.  FMU rallied behind buckets from O'Bannon, Gilmore Jr., and Beamer. Both teams played head-to-head for the remainder of the second half and took the game to overtime at an 86-86 stalemate.  FMU senior guard Tionne Rollins' driving lay-in with five ticks on the clock forced the extra session.
 
In the first overtime, Francis Marion led by as many as three, at 91-88 after a dunk by Gilmore Jr.  Two free throws by Rollins put FMU up 94-93, but Davis made 1-of-2 free throws with three seconds left to knot the contest at 94-94 and forced another overtime period.
 
Francis Marion held the lead at 103-101 following a pair of free throws from redshirt-freshman Willie Patterson III with 1:03 remaining, but a lay-up from Tampa's Tyson Leitao brought the score even at 103-103 with 45 ticks left. A three-pointer from the right corner by Tampa's Jesse White with 8.2 seconds on the clock proved to be the game-winner, as a three-pointer at the buzzer by the Patriots was no good.
 
 
11/17/23 7:00 pm at Tampa, FL
TAMPA 106, FRANCIS MARION 103  2OTs
FRANCIS MARION (2-2)
Bryce Beamer 12-24 1-2 28; Marlow Gilmore Jr. 8-16 6-7 22; Horaces Jacques
Jr. 4-15 3-5 11; Ibrahim Wattara 4-12 2-2 10; Chandler O'Bannon 4-5 2-2 10;
Farid SaintCyr Jr. 2-9 2-2 7; Tionne Rollins 2-20 2-2 6; Niko Noumeros 1-4
3-4 5; Willie Patterson III 1-8 2-2 4; Adonis Cole 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 38-113
23-28 103.
TAMPA (2-1)
Amari Davis 10-22 10-14 30; Jaxon Toney 10-16 2-5 22; Jesse White 5-15 1-2
15; Myles Hunter 5-12 1-2 13; Tyson Leitao 5-7 1-4 11; Jacob Harris 4-6 2-2
11; Ian Higdon 1-3 0-0 2; Isaiah Young 1-2 0-0 2; Cole Gingeleski 0-0 0-0 0.
Totals 41-83 17-29 106.
Francis Marion............   41   45    8    9  -  103
Tampa.........................   41   45    8   12  -  106
3-point goals--Francis Marion 4-33 (Bryce Beamer 3-10; Farid SaintCyr Jr.
1-5; Horaces Jacques Jr. 0-6; Ibrahim Wattara 0-1; Tionne Rollins 0-6; Niko
Noumeros 0-1; Willie Patterson III 0-1; Marlow Gilmore Jr. 0-3), Tampa 7-23
(Jesse White 4-10; Myles Hunter 2-6; Jacob Harris 1-3; Jaxon Toney 0-3;
Amari Davis 0-1). Fouled out--Francis Marion-Farid SaintCyr Jr., Tampa-Amari
Davis. Rebounds--Francis Marion 53 (Bryce Beamer 14), Tampa 58 (Tyson Leitao
16). Assists--Francis Marion 13 (Tionne Rollins 6), Tampa 19 (Jesse White
6). Total fouls--Francis Marion 24, Tampa 25. Technical fouls--None. A-350