FMU men hammer Allen, move to 6-1

FLORENCE — With forward Robert Faulkner sitting on the bench with a knee injury, Francis Marion dropped an overtime heartbreaker to The Apprentice School on the road last Tuesday.

Faulkner sat on the bench again Monday night and his status for Wednesday night’s Peach Belt Conference opener against USC Aiken is uncertain.

But the Patriots found energy from several different sources as FMU hammered Allen 93-53 in men’s basketball at Smith University Center.

Kaylan Anderson led the Patriots (6-1) with a season-high 28 points. Simel Boyd posted a double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Kendrick Robinson followed with 13.

David Turner added seven points, eight boards and five assists.

However, the player whose impact was felt most on the court, according to FMU coach Gary Edwards, was junior point guard Mike Candelaria.

In his first action of the season, the transfer from Ellsworth Community College in Wisconsin finished with three points and four assists in 16 minutes of work, but hounded Allen’s shooters all night.

“We shot the ball well,” said Edwards, whose Patriots shot 48.3 percent (29-of-60) from the field. “Mike Candelaria was a huge lift for us. We’re a different team with him on the floor.

“He knows how to play the game from the point guard position. He does things you can’t teach.”

After waiting nearly a month to be cleared to play, Candelaria is happy to see action, but said he is a small part of something bigger.

“I came into a really good situation. We were 5-1 and things were going great without me,” he said. “My teammates did all the work tonight. I’m just glad to be playing basketball again.

“I didn’t get to see the other six games (FMU) played, but I liked what I was seeing out there tonight. I just tried to play my role, and that’s to run the floor from the point.”

The Patriots also had their best shooting performance of the season from the free throw line. After shooting just 55 percent from the stripe in its first six games, FMU connected on 77.8 percent (28-of-36) of its shots against Allen.

Defensively, FMU held the Yellow Jackets (3-7) to 38.5 percent (20-of-52) shooting from the field while forcing 15 turnovers that led to 24 points.

Jeremy Crawford led Allen with 13 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out at the 3:50 mark of the second half. Demetrice Terrell scored 12 points.

“I thought we played good defense,” Edwards said. “This was one of the most enjoyable games I’ve coached since I’ve been here.”

Wednesday’s conference opener at home against USC Aiken is set for 7:30 p.m. FMU’s women play AIken at 5:30 p.m.