AIKEN, SC – The guard duo of sophomore Troy Santos and freshman AuMauri Tillman combined for 44 points, as the Francis Marion University men's basketball team suffered a 96-85 loss at USC Aiken in a non-conference game on Saturday evening (Dec. 20).

With the loss, Francis Marion drops to 2-8 this season and will be idle during the holiday break before returning to the Smith University Center on Wednesday, Dec. 31, to face Wingate in a non-conference matchup at 2 p.m.

Santos finished with a season-high 24 points on 6-of-12 shooting with six three-pointers against the Pacers. He converted six-of-eight from the free-throw line and dished out two assists in 20 minutes.

Tillman finished with 20 points on 8-of-12 attempts with four three-pointers in 28 minutes off the bench. Additionally, he registered two rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Senior guard Cole Deptula contributed 10 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 30 minutes. Senior forward Adonis Cole finished with nine points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four blocks in 30 minutes.

The Pacers raced out to an early 17-6 advantage in the contest after hitting four shots from beyond the arc. Francis Marion managed to close the gap to 20-17 at the 9:34 mark following eight-straight points scored by Tillman. The sides exchanged baskets over the next seven-plus minutes before the Patriots tied the game at 36-36 after junior forward Jaiden Cancela knocked down a pair of free throws with 1:15 to go. USCA answered with four consecutive points before Deptula hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds to head into the break trailing by a 40-39 margin.

In the second half, USC Aiken quickly increased its lead with a 13-5 run in the opening minutes to hold a 53-44 edge. The Patriots cut the deficit to 60-54 with 11:02 left following eight unanswered points scored by Santos. The Pacers countered with a 15-6 run to pull in front by 15 points with a 75-60 lead and never looked back to seal the 95-86 win.

FMU shot at a 39.1 clip (25-of-64) from the floor while going 13-of-34 (38.2 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, USC Aiken finished the game shooting 55.8 percent (29-of-52) and converted 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) from beyond the arc. The Pacers held a 37-36 rebounding advantage with 28 points in the paint. The Patriots tallied 35 points off the bench and 21 points off 18 turnovers.