FLORENCE, SC – The Francis Marion University men's basketball program was unable to overcome a double-digit first-half deficit on Wednesday night (Jan. 7) in an 88-76 loss to UNC Pembroke in Conference Carolinas play at the University Center.
Francis Marion (3-10, 3-2) continues league play on Saturday, Jan. 10, with a matchup against Young Harris in the University Center at 4 p.m.
Sophomore guard
Troy Santos scored a team-high 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting while converting a trio of three-pointers in 14 minutes off the bench. He also made five-of-six from the free-throw line with two steals.
Senior guard
Cole Deptula finished with 14 points and three rebounds in 39 minutes on the court. Senior forward
Adonis Cole just missed out on a double-double after tallying 11 points and nine rebounds in 35 minutes. Fifth-Year guard
Patrick Antonelli registered nine points, three rebounds, and two assists in 26 minutes.
Nygell Verdier led four UNCP (7-6, 4-1) players in double-figures with a game-high 19 points.
The Braves started the game with 10 unanswered points in the opening three minutes. Cole halted the run with a jumper, but UNCP remained in control with a 16-9 lead at the 12:35 mark. Antonelli cut into the deficit for the Patriots with five consecutive points to trail by a 21-15 margin. UNC Pembroke responded with an 11-6 run to climb the lead to 32-21 with just over three minutes to go. Francis Marion managed to trim the deficit to 38-28 in the closing seconds before the Braves hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to head into the break with a 41-28 advantage.
In the second half, UNCP increased its lead in the initial minutes after taking a 55-35 edge with 11:32 left, the largest lead of the game. FMU countered with a 14-6 rally with six different players scoring to cut the deficit to 61-49 with seven minutes remaining. The Braves answered by tallying 10 of the next 15 points to hold a 71-54 advantage. Santos entered the contest with 4:39 to go and scored 15 points in the closing minutes, as FMU fell by an 88-76 margin.
Francis Marion finished the contest shooting 21-of-51 (41.2 percent) from the floor while converting 75.0 percent (27-of-36) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, UNC Pembroke posted a .480 field goal percentage (24-of-50) and made 32-of-51 (62.7 percent) from the charity stripe. The Braves finished with a 38-32 rebounding advantage with 30 points in the paint. The Patriots totaled 26 points off the bench with 22 points in the paint.
