Greenville, S.C. -- Senior Moussa Diagne scored a game-high 19 points, 16 in the first half, to lead Furman University to a 90-56 victory over Francis Marion University in exhibition men's basketball action Saturday night (Nov. 4) at Timmons Arena.

Francis Marion connected on 8-of-13 (61.5%) three-point attempts, but altogether converted just 43.8% (21-48) from the field. Sophomore Akeene Coakley led Francis Marion with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Senior guard Dominic Bishop added 13 points and sophomore guard Paul Braxton chipped in with 10 points. Senior 6-8 center Kevin Ashford recorded a game-high nine rebounds.

After leading 41-34 at intermission, Furman went on a 36-6 run over the first 11:12 of the second half to open up a 77-40 lead and put the game out of reach. Robby Bostain, who netted 10 points and added eight assists in 23 minutes of action, scored seven in the first three minutes of the half to kick start the Paladin rally. Furman limited the Patriots to just eight points in the first 14 minutes of the second half.

Eric Webb joined Diagne and Bostain in double figures with 14 points, including 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. Furman shot 55.9% (33-59) from the field and 50% (11-22) from three-point range. The Paladins held a 33-25 rebounding edge despite no one claiming more than six boards.

Francis Marion jumped out to 13-7 lead in the opening five minutes of the game, connecting on five of its first seven shots. Furman answered with a 12-0 run over the next four minutes to regain the lead at 19-13 with just over eleven minutes remaining in the half. After the Patriots knotted the game at 20-20, Eric Webb keyed a 17-7 Paladins’ spurt with a pair of three-pointers to help Furman build a seven point-halftime cushion.

Furman will open its regular season at home on Saturday, November 11, when it hosts Charleston Southern University at noon. Francis Marion tips off the season on November 15, at Coker College.