DUE WEST, SC – The Francis Marion University defense pressured Erskine College into 20 turnovers, including 13 in the second half, to complete a late 56-54 comeback victory on Wednesday night (Jan. 21) in Conference Carolinas men's basketball play.
Francis Marion improves to a 5-13 overall record while holding a 5-5 mark in conference action. The Patriots were scheduled to play at Converse University on Saturday, Jan. 24, but that contest has been postponed to Feb. 12 due to winter weather in the forecast. Francis Marion's next game will be on the road at the University of Mount Olive on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m.
Senior swingman
Cole Deptula scored a team-high 17 points with seven rebounds and one steal in 34 minutes of action. Junior guard
Kennard Davis produced 14 points while adding seven rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in 36 minutes. Senior forward
Adonis Cole finished with six points and a game-high 12 rebounds in 31 minutes.
Dorien Johnson paced the Flying Fleet (0-14, 0-9) with a double-double behind 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The Patriots built an early 8-0 advantage in the initial four minutes of the first half with Deptula contributing four points. Erskine quickly tied the contest at 10-10 with 14:17 remaining after hitting a pair of three-pointers. Francis Marion responded by knocking down four-straight shots to climb in front by an 18-10 margin. The Flying Fleet countered with a 17-4 rally over the next six-plus minutes to grab a 27-22 edge with 5:38 to go. Erskine extended its lead in the final minutes to head into the break with a 34-26 advantage.
In the second half, FMU slowly cut into the deficit 39-33 following a three-pointer by Deptula. Erskine quickly established a double-digit point lead before the Patriots erupted by scoring 10 unanswered points to tie the game at 43-43 with 9:12 left. The Flying Fleet reclaimed the lead with a 9-3 run to hold a 52-46 edge after hitting four-of-eight shots. Davis kicked-started a 10-0 rally for Francis Marion in the closing minutes while the Patriots forced three crucial turnovers to pull ahead 56-52 with 1:24 remaining. Erskine countered with a layup and saw a potential game-winning shot fall short in the final seconds.
FMU shot at a 31.7 clip (20-of-63) from the floor while going 11-of-18 (61.1 percent) from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, Erskine finished the game shooting 39.6 percent (21-of-53) and converted 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) from beyond the arc. The Patriots held a 45-33 rebounding advantage with 19 points off 20 turnovers. The Flying Fleet tallied 24 points in the paint and registered a season-high 10 blocks.
