GREENWOOD, SC – Junior forward Sam Smith scored a team-high 14 points, but Francis Marion University failed to score 60 points for the third time in the past four contests as the Patriots lost at Lander University 76-57, Wednesday (Jan. 30) in Peach Belt Conference men’s action.
FMU drops its fourth consecutive game, and sixth in the last seven, to fall to 8-8 overall and 2-7 in the conference. Following Smith, junior forward Ziyadah Carter tallied 10 points and nine rebounds.
Houston Wright and Scottie Smith paced Lander (7-10, 4-6) with 16 points apiece, while Zach Evans added 13 points and Brenton Harris recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Patriots trailed 41-23 at halftime. Wright hit a pair of 3-pointers as Lander opened the second half on an 8-2 run, building a 49-24 lead with 18:45 left and completing a 27-6 run that dated back to the opening stanza. Later the Patriots scored seven unanswered points to pull to within 51-33.
Ford "Scooter" Lawrence hit a 3-pointer and Harris scored twice as Lander's lead ballooned back to 23 points, 58-35, with 11:20 left. Garry Jones converted a three-point play off a steal, giving the Bearcats a 70-40 lead with 4:55 to go. Lander's largest lead would be 31 points before the Patriots closed the game on a 13-1 run.
Francis Marion connected on only 23 of 59 shots from the floor (39 percent), including three of 19 from beyond the three-point arc, and eight of 14 free throws (57 percent).
Francis Marion returns home to entertain North Georgia College & State University on Take A Kid to the Game (TAKG) Day, Saturday at 4 p.m. Admission for kids, 12-and-under, will be free, and a parent can get in for just one dollar. The SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere) Club from Moore Intermediate School will perform a routine at halftime of the men’s game that day.
1-30-08 7:30 pm at Horne Arena, Greenwood, S.C.
LANDER 76, FRANCIS MARION 57
FRANCIS MARION (8-8, 2-7 PBC)
Smith, Sam 6-11 1-2 14; Carter, Ziyadah 4-12 1-2 10; Boyd, Simel 3-4 0-0 6;
Burton, Rodrick 3-5 0-0 6; Jones, Crayton 1-3 4-8 6; Baker, Cortne' 1-3 2-2
4; Clark, Kevin 1-3 0-0 3; Stiglbauer, Carter 1-1 0-0 2; Turner, David 1-7
0-0 2; Power, Houston 1-6 0-0 2; Morley, Nate 1-1 0-0 2; Laney, Michael 0-3
0-0 0; Peterson, Larnelle 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-59 8-14 57.
LANDER (7-10, 4-6 PBC)
Smith, Scottie 7-11 2-4 16; Wright, Houston 5-10 3-3 16; Evans, Zach 4-6 2-2
13; Harris, Brenton 5-5 0-1 10; Pitt, Tyler 1-5 3-4 6; Lawrence, Ford 1-6
0-1 3; Mann, Justin 1-6 1-2 3; Allison, Travis 1-4 0-0 3; Sparrow, Dane 1-10
0-0 3; Jones, Garry 1-3 1-1 3; Milner, Curtis 0-0 0-0 0; Corontzes, Matt 0-2
0-0 0. Totals 27-68 12-18 76.
Halftime: Lander 41 Francis Marion 23.
3-point goals-Francis Marion 3-19 (Carter, Ziyadah 1-5; Clark, Kevin 1-2;
Smith, Sam 1-1; Baker, Cortne' 0-1; Turner, David 0-2; Power, Houston 0-5;
Laney, Michael 0-2; Burton, Rodrick 0-1), Lander 10-34 (Evans, Zach 3-5;
Wright, Houston 3-4; Allison, Travis 1-4; Sparrow, Dane 1-6; Pitt, Tyler
1-4; Lawrence, Ford 1-4; Corontzes, Matt 0-2; Jones, Garry 0-1; Mann, Justin
0-4). Fouled out--Francis Marion-None, Lander-None. Rebounds-Francis Marion
39 (Carter, Ziyadah 9), Lander 44 (Harris, Brenton 12). Assists-Francis
Marion 18 (Power, Houston 5), Lander 18 (Sparrow, Dane 6). Total
fouls-Francis Marion 20, Lander 17. A-425
