The Patriots improve to 10-13 overall and 4-12 in the PBC with their second straight win.  Lander (9-14, 6-10) loses for the fourth time in five games.

Following Morley was junior forward Sam Smith with 14 points and nine rebounds, while freshman forward Simel Boyd had nine points and seven rebounds.  Junior 6-7 center Kevin Clark scored only six points, but handed out a career-high eight assists while not committing a turnover.

Forward Houston Wright paced Lander with 15 points and six rebounds, while guard Zach Evans added 11 points.

Francis Marion jumped to an early 19-9 advantage only to see the Bearcats score 10 straight points to tie the contest with five minutes left in the first half.  A three-pointer by Morley with 1:10 left in the opening stanza allowed the Patriots to own a 27-25 lead at intermission.

FMU would lead by five early in the second half at 33-28.  Lander rallied and would lead on several occasions, including at 44-42 following a three-pointer by Evans with 7:51 left in the game.

Francis Marion answered with a 10-0 spurt that consisted of a pair of three-pointers by Morley and two inside hoops by Boyd.  That run gave the Patriots a 52-44 lead with 4:31 remaining.

Poor foul shooting by FMU allowed Lander to trim the margin to 53-49 with 1:16 left when Curtis Milner made one of two free throws.  However, Francis Marion hit 7-of-10 free throws in the final 1:11 to seal the victory.  The Patriots entered that final stretch only 5-of-13 from the charity stripe.

In the decisive second half, FMU connected on 52.4 percent (11-of-21) of its field goal attempts, while holding the Bearcats to 36.7 percent (11-of-30) shooting.  Lander also struggled at the foul line, making only 8-of-18, including a dismal 5-of-14 over the final 20 minutes.

Francis Marion will play at 12th-ranked Augusta State University on Wednesday at 7:30, while Lander hosts sixth-ranked USC Aiken the same evening also at 7:30 p.m.