FLORENCE, SC – The Francis Marion University men's basketball program was unable to overcome a season-low shooting performance on Wednesday night (Feb. 4) in a 79-56 loss at UNC Pembroke in Conference Carolinas play.
The Patriots (6-14, 6-6) return to the Smith University Center on Saturday, Feb. 7, for a Conference Carolinas matchup against Belmont Abbey College with tip-off set for 4 p.m. As part of Homecoming weekend, admission to the game will be free for everyone.
Senior swingman
Cole Deptula scored a team-high 17 points while converting a perfect six-of-six from the free-throw line. He also added three rebounds and one block in 34 minutes. Junior guard
AuMauri Tillman contributed 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting with five rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 23 minutes off the bench. Fellow junior guard
Kennard Davis finished with eight points, two rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 30 minutes.
Demar Anderson led all scorers for UNC Pembroke (14-6, 11-1) with 18 points.
In the first half, the Braves jumped out to an 8-6 edge in the initial minutes of the contest before extending the lead to 21-11 with 9:29 to go after a 13-5 run. Senior guard
Farid SaintCyr Jr. countered with a layup on the next possession, but UNCP maintained control, stretching the advantage to 38-17 with 2:39 left in the half. The Patriots scored seven of the final 10 points, led by Tillman with four points, to head into the break trailing by a 41-24 margin.
Deptula hit a pair of free throws to begin the second half, but the Braves stretched their lead to 61-34 after converting 8-of-11 shots on a 20-8 run. Francis Marion responded with a 14-5 rally, including four three-pointers, to trim the deficit to 66-48 with 6:14 remaining. UNCP found success at the free-throw line in the closing minutes, as FMU suffered a 79-56 loss.
FMU shot at a season-low 30.2 clip (16-of-53) from the floor while going 15-of-18 (83.3 percent) from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, UNCP finished the game shooting 55.3 percent (26-of-47) and converted 20-of-29 (69.0 percent) from the free-throw line. The Braves held a 36-27 rebounding advantage with 34 points in the paint. The Patriots tallied 24 points off the bench and 12 points off turnovers.
