AMERICUS, GA - Senior swingman Adonis Cole and graduate student guard Farid SaintCyr Jr. combined for 22 points against Georgia Southwestern State University on Saturday (Dec. 13), but the Francis Marion men's basketball team dropped the contest, 77-59, in a non-conference clash.
 
Francis Marion will resume their conference schedule to compete against Chowan University on Tuesday in Murfreesboro, N.C., at 3 p.m.
 
Cole scored a team-high 12 points, while SaintCyr Jr. tallied 10 points and four steals.  FMU senior swingman Cole Deptula added seven points and six boards, while junior guard AuMauri Tillman had six points and three assists before fouling out with 5:20 to go in the game.
 
GSW's Deonte Williams spearheaded the Hurricanes (7-3) with a well-rounded game of 19 points (on 7-of-11 shooting), five boards, five steals, and four blocks.
 
SaintCyr Jr. and Cole led the charge in the opening minutes for FMU, collecting the team's first ten points, but Georgia Southwestern State pulled ahead with a 16-4 run. Tillman, Cole, sophomore forward Clyde Mauldin, and sophomore guard Troy Santos chipped in with scoring from the floor and the charity stripe, but GSW maintained control heading into halftime with a 44-22 advantage.
 
Francis Marion played with purpose at the start of the second half, trimming the deficit with fastbreak lay-ins from SaintCyr Jr. and freshman guard Jamari Cullen to spark a 6-0 run early. GSW retaliated, scoring down low and from beyond the arc, but FMU stayed assertive.
 
The Patriots conjured 21 points over the first 10 minutes of the second half, nearly matching their entire first-half output of 22. During that stretch, FMU put together its strongest run of the night, using a 12-2 surge, sparked by three-pointers from Deptula, junior forward Jaiden Cancela, and Mauldin to close within eight points, 54-46, with 9:31 remaining.
 
The Hurricanes countered with six straight points to push the margin back to double figures where it would stay for the remainder of the game. FMU continued to compete, however GSW closed the game with another run fueled by perimeter shooting and points at the line to seal the win.