FLORENCE, SC – Francis Marion University coasted to an 86-74 victory over North Greenville University on Saturday (Jan. 20) evening as freshman guard Horaces Jacques Jr. paced the Patriots with 22 points.
 
FMU (8-8, 6-2) wins its fifth consecutive game and posted its best defensive effort of the season.
 
The Patriots will be back on the court on Wednesday (Jan. 24) in Florence, as they battle local rival UNC Pembroke in the latest installment of the Battle of I-95. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. following the women's game that begins at 5:30 p.m.
 
Registering his eighth consecutive double-figure outing and the second 20-point game of his young career, Jacques Jr. shot 8-of-14 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from behind the three-point line. He also chipped in three assists and four steals. Senior guard Tionne Rollins followed with 13 points.
 
FMU sophomore forward Adonis Cole registered a career-high of 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 at the free throw line and grabbed seven rebounds. Junior guard Farid SaintCyr Jr. added 11 points, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. 
 
Pacing North Greenville (5-10, 2-8) was Max Topham with 22 points, while shooting 9-of-16 from the field.
 
Opening the contest, Francis Marion went on a seven-point scoring run with Rollins dropping the first six off two three-point shots. Senior forward Marlow Gilmore Jr. added the seventh with a made free throw.
 
With Gilmore Jr. throwing down a slam-dunk, Francis Marion stretched its margin to 10 points at 21-11. Despite the deficit, North Greenville closed the gap, and it became a two-point game as Zak Perdew drained a three-pointer at 25-23.
 
Eight lead exchanges later and FMU trailing by two, Jacques Jr. drained a three-point bucket with two seconds left to take the Patriots into halftime leading 43-42.
 
In the second half, the score never strayed past a four-point margin over the first four minutes. Tied at 50-50, the Patriots went on a six-point spurt with buckets from Rollins, Cole, and junior forward Ibrahim Wattara.
 
With the score knotted at 58-58, SaintCyr Jr. got hot, firing off two back-to-back three pointers and later a lay-in as FMU took a 68-60 advantage. That was part of a 16-0 run by FMU that eventually gave the Patriots a 77-60 advantage.
 
The Patriots held North Greenville to a 36.1 field goal percentage in the second half, including 0-of-9 from three-point territory. 
 
FMU also capitalized on the Crusader's 19 turnovers by scoring 21 points.  FMU finished the game 11-of-28 from long distance and committed a season-low equaling nine turnovers.

 
 
01/20/24 4:00 pm at Florence, SC
FRANCIS MARION 86, NORTH GREENVILLE 74
NORTH GREENVILLE (5-10,2-8 Confere)
Max Topham 9-16 2-4 22; Zak Perdew 6-11 1-1 15; CaDarrius Sowell 4-6 0-0 9;
Dre Singleton 2-4 4-5 8; Babatunde Ajike 2-8 2-2 6; Justin Perry 2-5 0-0 5;
Jacob Brown 2-6 0-1 4; Savion Brown 1-4 0-0 3; Seth Hewitt 0-1 2-2 2; John
Haddock Rogers 0-1 0-0 0; Travis Walters 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-63 11-15 74.
FRANCIS MARION (8-8,6-2 Conferen)
Horaces Jacques Jr. 8-14 1-3 22; Tionne Rollins 4-11 2-2 13; Adonis Cole 5-7
2-2 12; Farid SaintCyr Jr. 4-10 0-3 11; Ibrahim Wattara 4-9 1-2 9; Marlow
Gilmore Jr. 3-7 1-2 7; Bryce Beamer 2-9 2-2 6; Niko Noumeros 0-0 2-2 2; Jy
Gladden 0-1 2-2 2; Chandler O'Bannon 0-1 1-2 1; Matthew Lee 0-0 1-2 1;
Willie Patterson III 0-1 0-0 0; Jose Figueroa 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-70 15-24 86.
North Greenville..............   42   32  -   74
Francis Marion................   43   43  -   86
3-point goals--North Greenville 7-22 (Zak Perdew 2-4; Max Topham 2-5; Savion
Brown 1-4; Justin Perry 1-3; CaDarrius Sowell 1-3; John Haddock Rogers 0-1;
Babatunde Ajike 0-2), Francis Marion 11-28 (Horaces Jacques Jr. 5-8; Tionne
Rollins 3-7; Farid SaintCyr Jr. 3-6; Bryce Beamer 0-4; Jy Gladden 0-1;
Ibrahim Wattara 0-1; Adonis Cole 0-1). Fouled out--North
Greenville-Babatunde Ajike, Francis Marion-None. Rebounds--North Greenville
43 (Jacob Brown 11), Francis Marion 37 (Adonis Cole 7; Bryce Beamer 7).
Assists--North Greenville 14 (Zak Perdew 4; Max Topham 4), Francis Marion 17
(Bryce Beamer 4). Total fouls--North Greenville 16, Francis Marion 14.
Technical fouls--None. A-1007