DAHLONEGA, GA – The Francis Marion University men's basketball program was unable to hold off a late second-half run on Wednesday night (Nov. 19) in a 74-67 non-conference loss at the University of North Georgia.
The Patriots drop to 0-3 this season after facing three Peach Belt Conference (PBC) schools to begin the 2025-26 season. The Nighthawks improve to 3-0 overall and were selected as the PBC preseason favorite this year.
Francis Marion returns to the Smith University Center on Saturday, Nov. 22, for its Conference Carolinas opener versus Shorter University, with tip-off set for 4 p.m.
Junior guard
Kennard Davis recorded his first career double-double after scoring 11 points and matching a career-high with 11 assists in 30 minutes on the court. Senior
Duncan Alevok reached double-figures with 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting with six rebounds and one block in 24 minutes. Junior
AuMauri Tillman finished with nine points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 26 minutes off the bench.
Francis Marion executed the offense effectively in the opening minutes of the first half after knocking down 7-of-14 shots to grab a 15-8 advantage. The Nighthawks answered with a 10-0 rally while forcing the Patriots into five turnovers to take an 18-15 lead with 8:01 left. FMU countered with a 12-2 run, led by a pair of threes from junior
Jaiden Cancela, to reclaim a 27-20 advantage. North Georgia closed out the first half with another 10 unanswered points to head into halftime with a 30-27 edge.
In the second half, the Nighthawks slowly increased to 34-31, but the Patriots answered by scoring 10 of the next 12 points to regain a 41-36 lead with 15:12 remaining. North Georgia once again battled back to take a 46-45 edge with 10:52 to go before the sides traded points over the next five-plus minutes. With the contest tied at 60-60, FMU was held scoreless for over five minutes as the Nighthawks pulled ahead 69-60 with 1:29 left. Davis hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 69-63, but North Georgia sealed the win at the free-throw line, 74-67.
FMU shot at a 47.3 clip (26-of-55) from the floor while going 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, North Georgia finished the game shooting 36.5 percent (23-of-63) and converted 21-of-27 (77.8 percent) from the charity stripe. Both sides finished with 37 rebounds, while the Nighthawks recorded 29 points off 21 turnovers. The Patriots tallied 32 points in the paint and 29 points off the bench.
