MURFREESBORO, NC – Senior forward Adonis Cole made the game-winning layup with 3.6 seconds left in overtime, as the Francis Marion University men's basketball program overcame an 18-point deficit to earn a 97-95 victory at Chowan University on Tuesday (Dec. 16) in Conference Carolinas action.

With the win, the Patriots improve to 2-7 overall with a 2-1 mark in league play. FMU plays the final game of a three-game roadstand on Saturday, Dec. 20, with a regional matchup at USC Aiken with tip-off set for 3:30 p.m.

Senior guard Cole Deptula scored a career-high 30 points in the victory while tallying 28 of those points in the second half and overtime period. He shot 10-of-17 from the field and converted a career-best 7-of-12 from beyond the arc.  Additionally, he added six rebounds in 30 minutes of play.

Cole also finished with a career-high after scoring 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting. He made six-of-nine from the free-throw line and tallied six rebounds in a game-high 41 minutes. Junior forward Jaiden Cancela posted a double-double with a career-high 20 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. He converted a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe while adding three assists and two steals. Sophomore forward Clyde Mauldin registered a career-high 11 points with four rebounds in 17 minutes.

In the first, both sides traded baskets in the opening three-plus minutes with the score tied at 9-9 behind five points scored by Mauldin. The Hawks pulled in front 15-11 with 14:44 to go after converting four-of-five from the free-throw line. Francis Marion answered back with four unanswered points to knot the contest at 15-15 before a nearly three-minute scoreless drought. The Patriots claimed a 19-17 edge at the 10:04 mark following four straight points by Cancela, but Chowan countered with an 11-3 run to hold a 28-22 advantage. FMU scored four of the final seven points of the first half to trail at the break by a 31-26 margin.

Chowan opened the second half firing on all cylinders with a 19-6 run to build the largest lead of the game at 50-32 with 15:50 remaining. The Hawks remained ahead over the next four minutes before the Patriots mounted a 14-5 rally, including a pair of three-pointers by Deptula to trim the deficit to 67-62 with just over nine minutes left. The sides continued to trade baskets as FMU remained within striking distance of the lead. Following a layup by the Hawks, Francis Marion responded by scoring eight of the next 10 points to tie the contest at 80-80 with 2:33 remaining. Chowan managed to climb back in front with 12 seconds left at 87-84 after a successful trip to the free-throw line. In the closing seconds, Deptula nailed a deep three-pointer with 1.7 seconds to go to send the contest to overtime, 87-87.

In the overtime period, the Hawks hit the opening layup before the Patriots countered with seven straight points, all scored by Deptula, to pull ahead 94-89 with 1:51 remaining. Chowan battled back to tie the game at 95-95 with under 30 seconds left before Cole hit the game-winning bucket on the next possession with a driving layup with just 3.6 seconds to go. FMU forced a turnover following a timeout to seal the comeback victory, 97-95.

Francis Marion finished the contest shooting 29-of-70 (41.4 percent) from the floor while converting 76.9 percent (30-of-39) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Chowan posted a .403 field goal percentage (27-of-67) and made 34-of-47 (72.3 percent) from the charity stripe. The Hawks finished with a 51-45 rebounding advantage with 38 points in the paint. The Patriots totaled 60 points off the bench and 36 points in the paint.