FLORENCE, SC – Despite a combined 37 points from senior swingman Cole Deptula and junior guard AuMauri Tillman, Francis Marion University fell to Columbus State University 84-75, Friday night (Nov. 28) in the 2025 FMU Thanksgiving Classic.
 
Francis Marion (1-5) will return to the court on Saturday at 4 p.m. against Lander University as the classic concludes.  Lander defeated Chowan University 93-77 in Friday's opening game.  CSU (3-2) will face Chowan on Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
Daily admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students, with FMU students admitted free with identification.
 
Deptula led Francis Marion with 19 points, including four three-pointers, while Tillman scored 18 points off the Patriot bench.  Deptula grabbed six rebounds and Tillman registered four steals.
 
FMU junior forward Jaiden Cancela added 12 points, on 4-of-4 shooting from both the floor and line, while senior forward Adonis Cole scored seven points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Junior 6-6 forward Jordan Mitchell led Columbus State with 25 points and eight rebounds.
 
Francis Marion opened an early 12-8 advantage after a pull-up jumper by Cancela with 12:44 left before halftime.  The Cougars responded with seven straight points to assume a 15-12 margin.
 
The Patriots used an 11-2 run later in the stanza to take their largest lead at 27-20.  Deptula started and ended the run with a pair of three-pointers.  However, CSU countered with its own 11-2 spurt to go back on top at 31-29.  The Cougars held a 38-34 lead at intermission.
 
Five straight points by CSU pushed the margin into double digits at 47-36 early in the second half.  The Patriots pulled to within 49-42 after a driving lay-up by Cole with 13:01 remaining, but Columbus State took full control with nine straight points – pushing the margin to 16 points.
 
The Cougars would lead by as many as 19 points, at 72-53, but FMU trimmed the deficit to 75-67 after a three-pointer by sophomore guard Troy Santos with 1:54 left.   Columbus State sealed the decision by making 7-of-10 free throws over the final 1:30.
 
Francis Marion connected on 35.5 percent of its field goal attempts and was 24-of-28 at the foul line, while CSU shot 50.0 percent from the floor and hit 17-of-23 charity tosses.