WILSON, NC – Senior forward Duncan Alevok scored the game-winning alley-oop via a pass from fifth-year guard Patrick Antonelli with 33 seconds left in overtime, as Francis Marion University captured a 61-59 win at Barton College on Tuesday night (Jan. 13) in Conference Carolinas action.

Francis Marion improves to 4-11 overall with a 4-3 record in conference play, while moving to 2-2 in divisional games. The Patriots will continue league action on the road this weekend with a matchup at Emmanuel (Ga.) University on Saturday, Jan. 17, starting at 4 p.m. The Patriots return to Florence on Monday, Jan. 19, for an MLK Day contest against conference newcomer Ferrum College with tip-off at 4 p.m.

Additionally, FMU holds a 2-0 mark in overtime games after defeating Chowan earlier this season on the road.

Jaylen Faber scored a game-high 18 points for the Bulldogs (5-11, 3-5) in the loss on Tuesday.

Senior guard Cole Deptula finished with a team-high 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting while converting three-of-six from beyond the arc. He also added three rebounds in 37 minutes on the court. Senior forward Adonis Cole tallied 13 points on 5-of-11 shots with seven rebounds and one steal in 34 minutes. Antonelli scored nine points while totaling seven rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in 32 minutes.

It was a low-scoring affair to begin the first half, as the Patriots held a 4-0 edge through the opening five minutes. The Bulldogs scored their first points at the 14:46 mark with a three-pointer, but Deptula countered with five straight points as FMU pulled ahead by a 9-3 margin. With Francis Marion in front 11-5 with 11:12 to go, Barton mounted a 9-2 rally to take its first lead, 14-13. The sides exchanged points late in the half before the Bulldogs hit a three-pointer at the 1:13 mark to take a 24-21 edge into halftime.

Barton maintained its lead at the start of the second half before eight unanswered points propelled the Patriots in front by a 32-28 margin with 13:43 left. Francis Marion continued to hold the advantage over the next six-plus minutes and followed up with an 8-1 run, led by Antonelli with six points to extend the lead to 52-43 with 5:10 remaining. The Bulldogs rallied with an impressive 11-2 run to tie the contest at 54-54, but neither side was able to attempt a game-winning shot in the closing seconds as the game went to overtime.

In overtime, Deptula pushed the Patriots into the lead by a 59-58 margin with a three-pointer, but Barton managed to tie it up after hitting one-of-two from the free-throw line, 59-59. Both teams went scoreless for the next two minutes before Alevok slammed home the game-winning alley-oop off a pass by Antonelli with 33 seconds left, 61-59. The Bulldogs were fouled with under two seconds to go, but missed both free throws at the end for FMU to secure the overtime win.

Francis Marion finished the contest shooting 22-of-58 (37.9 percent) from the floor while converting 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Barton posted a .367 field goal percentage (22-of-60) and made 6-of-29 (20.7 percent) from beyond the arc. The Patriots finished with a significant 48-35 rebounding advantage with 26 points in the paint. The Bulldogs totaled 22 points in the paint and eight points off the bench.