FLORENCE, SC – Despite a career-high 20 points from junior guard Kennard Davis, the Francis Marion University men's basketball program suffered a 95-85 loss to Chowan University on Tuesday night (Feb. 10) in divisional play at the Smith University Center.
The Patriots fall to 7-15 overall with a 7-7 mark in Conference Carolinas play. Entering the contest tonight, FMU ranked fifth in the initial KPI rankings, which determine seeding in the league tournament.
Francis Marion continues a busy week of competition with a road contest on Thursday (Feb. 12) at Converse with tip-off set for 7 p.m. The Patriots will close out the week with a matchup at King University on Saturday (Feb. 14) at 4 p.m.
Davis nearly registered a triple-double on Tuesday night after scoring a career-high 20 points with a career-high equaling 11 assists and a career-high eight rebounds. He shot 8-of-15 from the field, while converting four-of-seven from beyond the arc in 39 minutes of play. Davis has tallied four double-doubles this season and six games with double-digit assists.
Sophomore forward Clyde Mauldin also achieved a career-high in scoring with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting in 28 minutes on the court. Graduate student guard Farid SaintCyr Jr. contributed 14 points on 6-of-14 attempts with two rebounds, three assists, and one block. The senior duo of Cole Deptula and Adonis Cole each produced 10 points and five rebounds.
William Hynes led six Hawks (13-10, 11-4) in double-figures with a career-high 29 points.
The Patriots built an early 9-7 advantage in the first half, led by Davis, who scored five points. The two sides traded baskets over the next two-plus minutes, as Chowan regained the lead at the free-throw line, 16-15. SaintCyr Jr. answered with a three-pointer on the next possession before the contest would be tied at 27-27 at the 9:16 mark.
The Hawks mounted a 16-2 run after converting six-of-eight from the field to pull ahead by a 43-29 margin with just over five minutes left in the half. The Patriots answered by knocking down five-of-nine shots in the final four minutes, with Davis accounting for seven points, to trail 50-41 at the break.
In the second half, the Patriots carried over their momentum by converting six of their initial seven shots to trim the lead to 59-56 at the 15:41 mark. Chowan countered with 10 straight points to pull back ahead by double-figures at 69-56. The Hawks maintained at least an eight-point lead over the next five-plus minutes before FMU jump-started a 12-3 rally led by SaintCyr Jr. with seven points to trail 85-83 with 2:16 to go.
Following the basket to trim the score to two points, the officials issued a technical foul, which ultimately provided a four-point swing to Chowan to gain an 89-83 edge. Francis Marion missed its final five shots of the contest to fall by a 95-85 margin.
FMU shot at a 44.3 clip (31-of-70) from the floor, while going 15-of-18 (83.3 percent) from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, Chowan finished the game shooting 43.1 percent (28-of-65) and converted 28-of-38 (73.7 percent) from the free-throw line. The Patriots held a 41-37 rebounding advantage with 40 points in the paint. The Hawks tallied 26 points off the bench and 24 points off turnovers.
