Clayton State falls 70-61 to FMU behind 15 three-pointers by the Patriots
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Marion (6-8; 2-6) | 41 | 29 | 70 |
| Clayton St. (7-9; 3-6) | 43 | 18 | 61 |
| Morrow, GA | |||
| Francis Marion | Clayton St. |
|---|---|
| Pts: Tyler Deihl - 14 | Pts: Andrew Bachanov - 17 |
| Reb: Evrik Gary - 7 | Reb: Omari Murray - 9 |
| Ast: Tyler Deihl - 7 | Ast: Sirdarius Henry - 6 |
| Team Statistics | Francis Marion | Clayton St. |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 37.1% (23-62 ) | 46.9% (23-49 ) |
| Rebounds | 33 | 33 |
| Assists | 18 | 15 |
| Turnovers | 11 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 11 | 12 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 17 | 8 |
| Pts in the Paint | 14 | 32 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 6 | 10 |
| Bench Pts | 8 | 17 |
MORROW, GA – Francis Marion drained 15 shots from 3-point territory Monday en route to a 70-61 victory over Clayton State at the Athletics & Fitness Center.
The Patriots, who lead the Peach Belt Conference averaging 14 three-pointers a game, shot 40 3-pointers in the game, hitting 38 percent from behind the arc.
Even with FMU's sharp-shooting from 3-point land, Clayton State had a chance down the stretch when guard Tony Dukes drained a 3-pointer to cut the Francis Marion lead to four points, 65-61, with 1:34 remaining in the game.
The Patriots answered though as forward Robert Carpenter nailed a 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the shot clock to give Francis Marion a seven-point lead with 58 seconds left. After a Clayton State miss on the next possession, the Lakers were forced to foul and Francis Marion guard Evrik Gary drained two free throws to seal the victory for the Patriots.
With the loss, the Lakers fall to 7-9 overall and 3-6 in Peach Belt Conference play. Francis Marion improves to 6-8 overall and 2-6 in league play. The Lakers will return to action on Thursday, hosting Young Harris in a 7:30 p.m. game.
Clayton State led 43-41 at halftime and by two points, 53-51, in the second half on a dunk by forward Omari Murray. Francis Marion answered though with a 14-0 run over the next five minutes and took a 12-point lead, 65-53, with 6:48 left.
The Lakers battled back with an 8-0 run of their own with a free throw by Dukes and baskets by forward Charles Shedrick and guard Craig Wong, setting up Dukes' 3-pointer in the final two minutes.
Center Andrew Bachanov led the Lakers with 17 points and seven boards, followed by Murray and Wong with 11 points apiece. Dukes chipped in 10 points. Murray finished with a time high nine boards.
For Francis Marion, guard Tyler Deihl led a balanced attack with 14 points. Gary and guard Clayton Williams finished with 13 points apiece, followed by guard Dustin Jones with 12 points. Forward Antonio Freeman added 10 points.
Clayton State shot better than the Patriots from the field, hitting 47 percent (23-of-49) from the floor compared to 37 percent (23-of-62) for Francis Marion. Three-point shooting and free throws were the difference as Clayton State hit only 25 percent (4-of-16) from 3-point land and 61 percent (11-of-18) from the free throw line. Francis Marion hit 38 percent (15-of-40) from 3-point territory and 90 percent (9-of-10) from the free throw line.
