WINSTON SALEM, NC - Junior guard Jordan Simpson paced Francis Marion University with 22 points and five assists in a 77-71 come-from-behind win over Winston Salem State University on Saturday (Nov. 16) afternoon.
 
The Patriots (2-2) will travel to Greenwood, S.C., to play in a road game against Lander University on Wednesday (Nov. 20) at 7:30 p.m.
 
Sophomore guard Horaces Jacques Jr. contributed 14 points and a game-high of three steals, while senior forward Ibrahim Wattara tallied his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Freshman forward Alex Atkinson (10) and junior forward Jordyn Surratt (10) combined for 20 points and seven rebounds apiece.
 
Winston Salem State (0-2) jumped to an early lead over Francis Marion with a 10-1 lead. The Rams continued to widen the margin, leading by 16 points halfway through the first half. At the 3:32 minute mark, the Patriots had climbed back within nine points with a pair of buckets from Surratt and Atkinson.
 
Layups from Jacques Jr. and Simpson then cut the lead down to just five points at 42-37 with only seven seconds left in the first half. An and-one opportunity for Simpson then left Francis Marion trailing by four points before entering halftime.
 
Francis Marion continued to trail the Rams until the 5:58 minute mark as freshman guard Ramez Zayed put away a lay-up to exchange leads at 68-67. A six-point spurt opened the lead up to 74-67 for FMU and made way for the Patriots victory. Jacques Jr. finished the game with two final free throws and left the Rams trailing by six points for a final score of 77-71.
 
The Patriots shot 45.3 percent from the floor, connecting on 29-of-64 as the Rams shot 38.7 from the floor.