BELMONT, NC – Freshman forward Alex Atkinson led Francis Marion University with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks in a 76-70 road victory over Belmont Abbey College on Saturday (Feb. 1) afternoon.
 
The Patriots (8-12, 6-6) will continue Conference Carolinas play on Monday (Feb. 3) night against I-95 rival UNC Pembroke. Tip-off will take place at 7 p.m. in Pembroke, N.C.  The game was originally set for Jan. 22, but postponed due to winter weather.
 
Junior guard Jordan Simpson matched Atkinson with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, while junior forward Jordyn Surratt recorded his fifth consecutive double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Surratt also shot 100 percent from the free throw line, 10-of-10, matching the sixth-best performance in team history.
 
Senior guard Ibrahim Wattara chipped in 11 points of his own on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor.
 
Dionte Alexander of Belmont Abbey (1-15, 0-13) scored a game-high 22 points while shooting 5-7 from the three-point line and registering five assists.
 
The Crusaders jumped ahead 13-10 in the first minutes of the first half. A three-pointer from Simpson knotted the score at 13-13 and a dunk from Wattara allowed the Patriots to exchange the lead at 15-13.
 
An eight-point spurt from BAC gave the Crusaders the lead once again at 34-27 at the 3:25 mark. Before the buzzer at the half, the Patriots closed the margin back to one point to go into the break trailing 34-33.
 
A six-point run by Belmont Abbey left Francis Marion in a 10-point deficit at the 15:46 mark before buckets from Surratt and Wattara trimmed it to 47-42. The Patriots stayed behind the Crusaders until another a shot from beyond the three-point line by Simpson allowed a final lead exchange at 53-52 with 8:50 left on the clock.
 
Before the final minute of the game, Surratt laid in a basket for a nine-point margin (71-62) and gave Francis Marion enough room to hold the lead for a final score of 76-70.