FLORENCE, SC – For the second game in a row, Francis Marion University rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second half, this time at the expense of Clayton State University, as the Patriots claimed a 67-64 Homecoming win on Saturday (March 1) in Peach Belt Conference men's basketball action.
The Patriots (12-15, 6-14) end the regular season on a two-game winning streak and have won four of their last six games. Junior guard Houston Power led FMU with 17 points, 14 of which came in the final 14 minutes, while sophomore guard Michael Laney came off the Patriot bench to tally 15 points, 12 of which came in the second stanza. Sam Smith added 11 points before fouling out and 6-7 junior center Kevin Clark tallied nine points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.
Guard Bernard Fields paced the Lakers (13-14, 9-11) with 15 points, while forward Michael Sloan added 13 points.
Clayton State led 37-26 at halftime after shooting 51.7 percent over the opening 20 minutes. Fields scored 12 points in the first stanza.
That margin swelled to 17 points (45-28) after a layup by Sloan with 16:30 left. Francis Marion chipped away at the margin, and following two free throws by Clark, FMU trailed 54-48 at the 8-minute mark. A tip-in by 6-7 center Jerome Boyd on the ensuing possession put the Lakers up 56-48 with 7:27 remaining.
However, Clayton State missed six of its final seven shots from the floor, including a seven-minute stretch where the Lakers only scored on five free throws. A three-pointer by Laney gave FMU its first lead of the second stanza at 60-59 with 3:54 on the clock. Two free throws by Laney and then a running floater by the Monroe, N.C., native capped a personal seven-point run and put FMU up 64-59 with 40 ticks left on the clock.
Following a pair of free throws by Clayton State’s Tracy Williams, Laney responded with two charity tosses at the other end, to restore the Patriot lead to five points (66-61). Williams ended the Lakers’ drought from the field with a three-pointer with 22 seconds left that trimmed the margin to 66-64. FMU senior Nate Morley, playing his final home contest, made one of two free throws at :17, giving FMU a 67-64 advantage, but potential game-tying three-point attempts by Sloan and Will Lewis were no good in the final seconds.
FMU connected on 7-of-12 three-point attempts in the final half, while the Lakers cooled off – shooting only 9-of-23 from the floor in the final 20 minutes.
Francis Marion will likely play Lander University in the first round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament on Wednesday at USC Aiken.
In addition to Morley, three other Patriots were making their final home appearance: forward Rodrick Burton, guard Larnelle Peterson, and center Carter Stiglbauer.
3-1-08 4:45 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 67, CLAYTON STATE 64
CLAYTON STATE (13-13 , 9-10 PBC)
Fields, Bernard 4-13 6-8 15; Sloan, Michael 6-10 1-2 13; Williams, Tracy 3-7
2-2 9; Lewis, Will 3-9 0-0 8; Traore Dit Nignan, A 2-2 2-3 6; Kelly, Brian
3-5 0-0 6; Boyd, Jerome 2-3 1-3 5; Goss, Trey 1-3 0-1 2. Totals 24-52 12-19
64.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (11-15 , 5-14 PBC)
Power, Houston 6-7 1-3 17; Laney, Michael 4-7 4-4 15; Smith, Sam 5-8 1-2 11;
Clark, Kevin 3-8 2-4 9; Morley, Nate 1-7 1-2 4; Boyd, Simel 2-5 0-2 4;
Turner, David 1-1 0-0 3; Stiglbauer, Carter 1-1 0-0 2; Burton, Rodrick 0-2
2-2 2; Jones, Crayton 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 23-51 11-19 67.
Halftime: Clayton State 37 Francis Marion 26.
3-point goals-Clayton State 4-14 (Lewis, Will 2-4; Williams, Tracy 1-1;
Fields, Bernard 1-4; Goss, Trey 0-2; Sloan, Michael 0-3), Francis Marion
University 10-22 (Power, Houston 4-5; Laney, Michael 3-5; Morley, Nate 1-6;
Clark, Kevin 1-4; Turner, David 1-1; Boyd, Simel 0-1). Fouled out--Clayton
State-None, Francis Marion University-Smith, Sam. Rebounds-Clayton State 30
(Lewis, Will 6; Williams, Tracy 6), Francis Marion University 35 (Clark,
Kevin 10). Assists-Clayton State 10 (Williams, Tracy 5), Francis Marion
University 17 (Clark, Kevin 4). Total fouls-Clayton State 14, Francis Marion
University 16.
