FLORENCE, SC – In a tightly contested East Division matchup, the Francis Marion University men's basketball program suffered a narrow 86-84 loss to the University of Mount Olive on Tuesday night (Nov. 25) in Conference Carolinas action in the Smith University Center.
With the loss, the Patriots drop to 1-4 this season behind a 1-1 record in league play. Francis Marion returns to the University Center on Nov. 28-29 for the Thanksgiving Classic with its opening matchup on Friday versus Columbus State University at 7 p.m.
Mount Olive improves to 3-3 this year with a 1-0 mark in conference action.
Junior guard
AuMauri Tillman scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the second half and converted 9-of-16 from the floor. He also added four rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 31 minutes.
Senior forward
Adonis Cole posted a double-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and two steals in 27 minutes on the court. Graduate student guard Farid SaintCyr Jr finished with 14 points, two rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block in 29 minutes. Junior guard
Kennard Davis and senior guard
Cole Deptula each reached double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Patriots jumped in front 8-6 in the initial minutes of the first half, with Cole and Davis each accounting for four points. Mount Olive countered with eight unanswered points to take a 14-8 lead with 14:07 to go. Francis Marion managed to close the gap to 18-15 following a three-pointer by SaintCyr Jr before eventually knotting the game at 21-21 with under ten minutes left in the half. The Trojans once again pulled ahead with a 17-6 run after hitting a perfect six-of-six from the field to lead 38-27. In the final three minutes, FMU mounted an 8-2 rally to trim the deficit to 45-41 heading into halftime.
The Trojans maintained their lead through the opening eight minutes of the second half, but the Patriots responded with an 8-0 rally to tie the contest at 62-62. Mount Olive countered with a pair of three-pointers to regain the lead while FMU answered back with three consecutive shots to trail 76-74 with 5:37 to go. Francis Marion once again tied the contest at 82-82 with just over two minutes left before Cole made a layup to put FMU in front by an 84-82 margin. Mount Olive tied the game at the free-throw line with 1:21 left and eventually took the lead, 86-84, after FMU surrendered two technical free throws after trying to take a timeout with zero remaining. The Patriots had the final shot of the contest as Tillman missed a driving layup to the hoop as time expired.
FMU shot at a 47.9 clip (34-of-71) from the floor while going 11-of-14 (78.6 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Mount Olive finished the game shooting 43.1 percent (31-of-72) and converted 11-of-30 (36.7 percent) from beyond the arc. The Trojans finished with a 41-39 edge in rebounds, while the Patriots tallied 56 points in the paint and 30 fastbreak points.
