SPARTANBURG, SC – Francis Marion University was unable to hold off a second-half surge by Converse University in a 76-58 loss on Thursday night (Feb. 12) in Conference Carolinas men's basketball action.
Francis Marion (7-16, 7-8) continues its three-game roadstand on Saturday, Feb. 14, with a trip to the Volunteer State to face King University at 4 p.m.
Senior swingman
Cole Deptula scored a team-high 17 points while knocking down five three-pointers in 37 minutes on the court. Sophomore forward
Clyde Mauldin finished with 12 points, six rebounds, and two assists in 34 minutes. Senior guard Farid SaintCyr Jr totaled 12 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 29 minutes off the bench.
Jordyn Surratt of Converse (7-13, 5-10) scored a game-high 21 points.
In the first half, the Patriots leaped in front by a 10-5 margin after Mauldin scored the initial five points of the contest for FMU. The Valkyries rallied over the next five-plus minutes to tie the game at 18-18 with 8:46 to go. Converse knocked down four of its next five shots, including two treys, to lead by double-figures, 30-20. The Patriots countered with an impressive 12-0 run to close the first half as Deptula converted a three-pointer with three seconds left to send Francis Marion into halftime with a 32-30 edge.
Converse started the second half with a 9-2 rally to build a five-point advantage before eventually extending the lead to 45-38 with 13:20 to go. The Patriots responded with six unanswered points and maintained within striking distance of the lead over the next five minutes. With the Valkyries holding a 53-51 edge with 7:43 left, Converse mounted a 23-6 run to close out the game and secure the home victory.
Francis Marion finished the contest shooting 18-of-54 (33.3 percent) from the floor while converting 92.9 percent (13-of-14) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Converse posted a .472 field goal percentage (25-of-53) and made 10-of-25 (40.0 percent) from beyond the arc. The Patriots finished with a 34-32 rebounding advantage with 13 second-chance points. The Valkyries tallied 26 points in the paint and 21 points off the bench.
