GREENWOOD, SC – Francis Marion University was led by junior guard Jordan Simpson who tallied 22 points, connecting on 6-of-13 from beyond the arc, but the Patriots fell 96-85 to Lander University on Wednesday (Nov. 20) night in men's basketball play.
 
Francis Marion (2-3) will open Conference Carolinas action against Converse University on Saturday (Nov. 23) afternoon. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. in the University Smith Center.
 
FMU freshman guard Ramez Zayed shot 5-of-10 from the floor as he chipped in another 12 points. Senior forward Ibrahim Wattara also contributed 12 points, while recording a team-high of seven rebounds.
 
Shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the three-point line, junior guard Andres Arellano Jr. posted eight points as did freshman forward Alex Atkinson and junior forward Jordyn Surratt. Surratt also paced the Patriots with five assists.
 
Inady Legiste led the Bearcats (2-2) with a team-high 21 points and nine rebounds.
 
After a 10-point run early in the opening half, Lander led Francis Marion 22-12. The Bearcats never trailed the remainder of the game. Buckets from Arellano Jr. and Simpson closed the gap to just one point, leaving the FMU in a deficit at 25-24.
 
Once again, Lander pulled away and widened the margin to 41-34. A layup from sophomore guard Horaces Jacques Jr. and a throw-down dunk by Atkinson left Francis Marion trailing 41-38. Before the halftime buzzer, Bearcat Caleb Williams put away one final bucket giving Lander a 43-38 halftime margin.
 
In the opening minute of the second half, FMU was within reaching distance of Lander with a score of 48-45 after Wattara put away a lay-up. Despite efforts from the Patriots, the Bearcats continued to open the score up and at one point led by 21 points in the second half.
 
In the final minute, Francis Marion was able to trim the lead back to 90-81 as Zayed laid in a basket. The Bearcats outscored the Patriots 6-4 in the last 47 seconds for a final score of 96-85.