FLORENCE, S.C. – Junior Rodrick Burton’s 21 points led three Francis Marion University players with career highs as the hot-shooting Patriots downed Morris College 78-65, Tuesday night (Nov. 28) in non-conference men’s basketball action.
Francis Marion ups its record to 3-1, while the Hornets drop to 2-5. It was FMU’s 12th straight win in the series, but the first meeting between the two programs since the 1990-91 season.
Burton bettered his previous high of 19 points set last Wednesday, as he connected on 8-of-10 shots and hauled down eight rebounds. Senior guard Dominic Bishop tallied a career-high 17 points (also on 8-of-10 shooting), while junior guard Larnelle Peterson came off the Patriot bench to score a career-high 13.
The Patriots shot 62.7 percent from the field, including an amazing 16-of-24 in the final half. The game percentage was the highest total in 69 games, dating back to the 2003-04 season when FMU reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
Senior guard Joseph Hayward led Morris with 17 points, before fouling out, while senior forward Antron Franklin added 15.
Morris jumped to a quick 8-1 lead as Francis Marion committed five turnovers in the opening 3:07. The margin stretched to 17-7 following a pair of free throws by Reshrond Tucker with 14:08 left in the half.
Six points by FMU senior Artis Lee fueled an 11-0 run that gave the Patriots an 18-17 advantage. The score was knotted at 23-23 with 8:20 left in the opening stanza, but FMU closed the half with a 16-5 spurt to lead 39-28 at intermission.
The Patriot connected on their first eight shots of the second half to quickly open a 58-39 margin. The lead grew to 26 points (71-45) after a layup by Bishop with nine minutes remaining.
Francis Marion will play at Erskine College, Thursday at 7:30 p.m., while Morris hosts Edward Waters College, the same evening at 8 p.m.
11-28-06 7:30 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 78, MORRIS COLLEGE 65
MORRIS COLLEGE (2-5)
Hayward, Joseph 8-16 0-1 17; Franklin, Antron 7-17 1-1 15; Tucker, Reshrond
2-3 4-4 8; Gore, Carlos 3-5 0-1 6; McKinney, Jonquin 2-4 1-2 5; James,
Randall 2-6 0-1 4; Nelson III, Raymond 2-4 0-0 4; Adams, Stanford 1-1 0-0 2;
Beaufort, Justin 1-2 0-0 2; Warren, Roderick 1-1 0-0 2; Kahee, Dominic 0-2
0-0 0; Deas, Herbert 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-62 6-10 65.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (3-1)
Burton, Rodrick 8-10 2-3 21; Bishop, Dominic 8-10 1-3 17; Peterson, Larnelle
5-9 2-2 13; Ashford, Kevin 4-8 0-2 8; Lee, Artis 2-3 2-4 7; Dorsey, Raymond
3-5 1-2 7; Morley, Nate 2-4 0-0 5; Hall, Daniel 0-2 0-0 0; Stewart, Benson
0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-51 8-16 78.
Halftime: Francis Marion 39 Morris 28.
3-point goals-Morris College 1-10 (Hayward, Joseph 1-4; Franklin, Antron
0-2; Tucker, Reshrond 0-1; McKinney, Jonquin 0-1; James, Randall 0-1; Kahee,
Dominic 0-1), Francis Marion University 6-13 (Burton, Rodrick 3-3; Morley,
Nate 1-3; Peterson, Larnelle 1-4; Lee, Artis 1-2; Hall, Daniel 0-1). Fouled
out--Morris College-Hayward, Joseph, Francis Marion University-None.
Rebounds-Morris College 25 (McKinney, Jonquin 5), Francis Marion University
34 (Dorsey, Raymond 9). Assists-Morris College 15 (McKinney, Jonquin 5),
Francis Marion University 18 (Lee, Artis 4). Total fouls-Morris College 21,
Francis Marion University 19. A-950
