MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Sophomore center Zaria Woods scored 14 points and junior point guard Camryn Johnson added a career-high equaling 13 to lead Francis Marion University to a 62-51 road win over Georgia College in Peach Belt Conference play Wednesday.
Francis Marion improves to 12-11 overall and 8-9 in conference play, good for seventh place, but only one game out of fifth. FMU will conclude its three-game road trip this Saturday when the Patriots travel to Greenwood to take on Lander University at 1:30 p.m. FMU holds Senior Night on Feb. 26 by hosting UNC Pembroke at 5:30 p.m.
Woods connected on 7-of-10 field goal attempts and also grabbed five rebounds. Johnson made 3-of-6 three-point attempts and dished out a team-high 3 assists. Junior guard Taylor Simmons and freshman Kristian Wall each added eight points, while the Patriot bench scored 22 points.
Georgia College held a 20-11 lead late in the first quarter, but Francis Marion responded with a 22-7 run to take a 33-27 lead at halftime. Johnson had a pair of three-pointers in that run.
The Bobcats closed to within 37-35 with 4:02 left in the third period, but FMU scored the game’s next nine points to lead 46-35. A lay-up by Woods gave the Patriots their largest lead at 54-39 with 5:33 left.
FMU shot 43.6% from the floor, including 7-of-17 three-point shooting, and made 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. The Patriots held the Bobcats to 31.9 percent shooting, including only 3-of-19 from behind the arc.
Patriot men fall despite 59 points from Matthews, Hill
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — For the second consecutive road game, the Francis Marion University duo of junior forward Keith Matthews and sophomore center Winston Hill combined for more than 50 points, but Georgia College rallied over the final 15:33 to grab a 90-79 win on Wednesday in Peach Belt Conference men’s basketball play.
Francis Marion will conclude its three-game road swing with a 3:30 p.m. contest at Lander University on Saturday afternoon. FMU will play its final home game on Feb. 26 when local-rival UNC Pembroke visits the Smith University Center for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
Matthews poured in 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting and grabbed six rebounds, while Hill scored 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting and hauled down 13 rebounds. The pair combined for 55 points and 29 rebounds last Saturday at Clayton State University.
FMU freshman Ja’Lil Robinson chipped in seven points.
Jordan Thomas and Justin Cave led Georgia College with 31 and 24 points respectively.
Francis Marion shot a season-best 57.7 percent from the floor, including 10-of-18 from behind the three-point arc, and the Patriots made 9-of-13 free throws.
FMU’s Gary signs with Luxembourg hoop squad
FLORENCE, S.C. — On Tuesday, BBC Bascharage Hedgehogs announced the addition of former Francis Marion University standout Evrik Gary to its roster.
The squad plays in the Luxembourg Nationale 2 league and its next contest is Saturday.
Gary, a 28-year-old Camden native, played most recently at Apoel in the Cypriot OPAP Basket League during the 2017-18 season. In 13 games, he averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He garnered League Player of the Week honors on one occasion.
Upon his return to the states, he spent a year working as Alumni Development Coordinator at FMU.
During the 2016-17 season, he played at BBC US Hiefenech Heffingen (Total League). In 2016, he briefly played with the Salt Lake City Stars, the D-League affiliate of the Utah Jazz. He played in the Bulgarian League for BC Beroe Stara Zagora during 2015-16 and averaged 13.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg, and 1.3 spg in 29 contests. He also previously played in the Balkan League and in Luxembourg.
The 6-3 guard is also a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top summer league for players who want to play basketball overseas.
Gary played for the Patriots between 2010 and 2014. As a senior, he earned All-Conference and All-Region honors after averaging 20.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He led the Peach Belt Conference in scoring and three-point shooting percentage (46.9%).
A four-year starter, his career point total of 1,787 is third-best in FMU history and eighth-best in PBC history. Gary holds the school career records for free throws made and free throw percentage (88.0%), while standing second in both three-pointers made and attempted.
Gary, a former All-State performer at Camden High School, earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in general business from FMU in 2013 and went on to do graduate work while playing his final season.
FMU baseball inks trio for 2021
FLORENCE, S.C. — Francis Marion University baseball coach Art Inabinet has announced the signings of RHP/INF Halton Hardy (Athens, Ga.), 3B Brady Stone (Fort Mill) and McBee High’s McIver Wallace to national letters of intent for the 2021 season.
As a junior, Hardy batted .384 and posted a 1.06 earned run average on the pitching mound. He was a first-team All-Region selection following the season, and has been tabbed as a preseason All-State pick heading into the 2020 campaign.
“Halton has great command of his fastball on both sides of the plate, has a good feel for his slider, and possesses 83-to-86 miles per hour velocity,” Inabinet said. “At the plate, he has gap-to-gap power. He will come in with a chance to contribute immediately.”
As a junior, Stone hit .320 with four doubles, 21 runs scored and 24 runs driven in. He helped lead Fort Mill High School to 28 wins, a No.1 state ranking for much of the regular season and an appearance in the 5A upper state championship. He earned honorable mention 2019 All-Area honors from the Rock Hill Herald.
He was a participant in the 2019 Palmetto Games.
He also plays with the On Deck O’s travel squad under the direction of coach Jason Hill.
“We will look for Brady to play on the left side of the infield. He is a switch hitter with a good eye at the plate. His better days are ahead of him, with the potential to be a good college hitter. He has a chance to play as a freshman.”
Wallace is a senior at McBee High School. He was a member of the past two Class A state championship squads for the Panthers. He earned All-State honors as a junior.
In the classroom, he is a member of the National Technical Honor Society, Senior Beta Club, and the Student Athlete Community Service Network.
“We are bringing Wallace in as a left-handed hitting catcher. He is ready to hit at the collegiate level right now. I will be excited to see him play this springs at McBee and this summer with Florence Legion Post No.1 to see how much improvement he has made behind the plate.”
FMU baseball adjusts schedule
FLORENCE, S.C. — The Francis Marion University baseball team has adjusted its game time for Friday due to the forecast of cold temperatures for that evening.
The Patriots’ game against the University of North Georgia will now be played at 4 p.m. at Sparrow Stadium.
Also, due to wet field conditions, FMU’s game Wednesday against Mercy was canceled and will not be made up.
Coker women fall to Anderson 71-51
HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker University women’s basketball team dropped its series finale with No. 17/21 Anderson on Wednesday night by a score of 71-51 in South Atlantic Conference action.
Coker led 8-6 at the halfway point of the first quarter, before the two teams would play to a 10-10 tie with three minutes to play in the period. From that point, Anderson would score eight unanswered points to take an 18-10 lead to the second.
The Trojans would extend their lead into double-digits right away in the second quarter, before Hayley Kropp would briefly get the Cobras back within nine three minutes into the period. The Trojans would continue to build their double-digit lead from there, as they led 41-22 at the half.
Coker would edge the Trojans 13-12 in the third quarter, but Anderson would hold its double-digit lead headed to the final 10 minutes.
The Trojans would control the fourth quarter on their way to the conference road victory.
Janell Horton scored a team-high 14 points, while eight other Cobras scored in the contest. Erin Houser pulled down a team-high 14 boards in the game, while eight other Cobras were active on the glass. Jalah Horton dished out a team-high two assists, while six others helped on Coker buckets in the game. Shay Jackson led the Cobras with three steals in the game, while five others had steals in the contest. Houser also recorded the lone block on the night for the Cobras.
Coker hits the road for Tusculum on Saturday to wrap up the regular season series. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
Anderson tops Coker men 82-74
HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker University men’s basketball team fell in a tight South Atlantic Conference contest to visiting Anderson on Wednesday by a score of 82-74.
Anderson led 7-4 through one media timeout, before back-to-back scores by Williams Onyeodi would put the Cobras ahead 11-7 with 14 and a half minutes to play in the first half. Coker would extend its lead further and hold a lead into the final 10 minutes of the first half, before Anderson would find its rhythm and get back into the game with under six minutes to play, before the teams would go bucket-for-bucket into the final minute of the half. Coker took a narrow 35-34 lead into the break.
Anderson would take a 42-37 lead through the first media timeout of the second half, before scores from Malcolm Kennedy and Chandler Lindsey would get the Cobras back within 47-45 with 13 and a half minutes to play in the period. Coker would take a slim lead from that point, before Anderson would knot the game up at 56 with 10 minutes to play. After the teams traded buckets for a few minutes, Anderson would grow its lead to as many as nine with four and a half minutes to play. Coker would get back within seven, but Anderson would keep the Cobras at a couple possessions’ distance until the final horn.
Lindsey finished with a team-high 22 points, while Williams Onyeodi added 21 on the night. Five other Cobras contributed points in the contest. Lindsey also led the Cobras with eight rebounds on the day, while Onyeodi also pulled down six. Four other Cobras were active on the glass in the game. Jaylin Stewart and Chandler Lindsey each dished out a team-high seven assists, with Lindsey tying a season-high and Stewart marking a new career-high. Onyeodi and Chris Swiney each had one assist in the game. Onyeodi and Lindsey each had three steals in the game. Ryan Carfley, Dakota Jennings and Swiney each had blocks in the game.
Coker hits the road for Tusculum on Saturday for a 4 p.m. matchup.
