FLORENCE, SC – Despite a career-high 25-point performance by graduate student guard
Farid SaintCyr Jr., the Francis Marion University men's basketball program suffered an 82-70 loss to Flagler in the season opener on Friday night (Nov. 14) at the Smith University Center.
The Patriots drop to 0-1 this season after being selected eighth in the Conference Carolinas preseason poll. Flagler opens the 2025-26 campaign with a victory to improve to 1-0 overall and was picked seventh in the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) preseason rankings.
Francis Marion returns to the Smith University Center tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 15, to USC Beaufort in its second game of the Conference Crossover with tip-off set for 4 p.m.
SaintCyr Jr. finished with a team-high 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting while converting six-of-nine from the free-throw line. He also contributed five rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 29 minutes. Junior guard
Kennard Davis scored 11 points on 5-of-12 attempts and added five rebounds in 32 minutes. Senior guard
Adonis Cole recorded nine points and three rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.
The Saints built an early 10-5 advantage in the initial minutes of the first half behind a pair of three-pointers. Francis Marion countered with a 9-1 run as Davis and SaintCyr Jr. combined for eight points during the three-minute stretch, 14-11. With the Patriots leading by an 18-15 margin, Flagler responded with eight unanswered points to take a 23-20 edge with 8:26 left in the first half. The Saints increased their lead to 11 points at 35-24 with 1:59 to go. FMU closed the half with an 8-3 rally led by SaintCyr Jr., with six points to trail 38-32 at halftime.
Flagler hit back-to-back shots to begin the second half before the Patriots countered with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 42-39 with 16:19 remaining. Following a timeout by the Saints, Flagler scored 13 unanswered points to take a 55-39 advantage. The Saints remained in control the remainder of the contest, eventually establishing their largest lead of the game at 73-55 with 3:39 to go. Francis Marion hit five-of-seven shots over the final three minutes, led by sophomore guard
Troy Santos with seven points. FMU ultimately fell by an 82-70 margin in its season-opener.
FMU shot at a 40.9 clip (27-of-66) from the floor while going 11-of-15 (73.3 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Flagler finished the game shooting 39.3 percent (24-of-61) and converted 28-of-37 (75.7 percent) from the charity stripe. The Saints held a 43-33 rebounding advantage with 25 fastbreak points. The Patriots tallied 40 points in the paint and 29 points off the bench.
Flagler junior guard Camden Andrews registered a game-high 28 points on seven-of-nine shooting while converting 11-of-15 from the free-throw line in 35 minutes. Graduate student guard Tariq Daughton finished with 14 points and graduate student guard Rahdir Hicks totaled 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
