MELBOURNE, Fla. — Sophomore center Andrew Smith paced a balanced Francis Marion scoring attack with 10 points as the Patriots cruised to an 82-41 victory over the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on Sunday at the Florida Tech Tip-Off Classic in men’s college basketball action.
Leading 30-14 with 4:20 left in the first half, the Patriots (1-0) scored the final 18 points of the stanza to carry a 48-14 advantage into the locker room. FMU scored the first two baskets of the second half to complete a 22-0 run.
A three-pointer by reserve guard Mark Sinkler gave FMU its largest lead of the day, 80-37 with 1:40 remaining. The 41-point margin of victory was the second-largest season-opening win in team history, trailing only a 110-57 victory over Claflin College on Nov. 18, 1983.
Following Smith were four Patriots with nine points: senior guard Herman Mains, senior guard Kendrick Robinson, junior guard Edward Gullatte, and junior forward David Turner. Junior swingman Simel
Boyd added seven points and a team-high nine rebounds. Turner hauled down eight rebounds as the Patriots held a commanding 53-32 advantage on the glass.
FMU held UPR-Mayaguez to 25 percent shooting from the floor, 13-of-52. Francis Marion connected on 47.1 percent of its shots, including 6-of-18 three-point attempts, while hitting 10-of-15 shots at the
foul line.
Patriot women stifle Valkyries
FLORENCE — Junior Shannon Singleton-Bates led three starters in double figures with 14 points and the Francis Marion defense forced 55 Converse College turnovers as the Patriots claimed a season-opening 91-57 win.
Following Singleton-Bates in the scoring column for FMU was senior guard Shana Franks with 13 and junior point guard Robin Colbert with 11 points, four assists, and six steals. Thirteen of the 14 Patriots scored in the contest. A pair of senior frontline players, Nicole Mealing and Precious Tucker, both came off the bench and tallied nine points apiece. Junior center Danelle Downs led the Patriots in rebounding with nine while adding four points.
The loss spoiled a homecoming for second-year Converse coach Joanna Tincher who played for Francis Marion earlier this decade and graduated from FMU in 2004.
Francis Marion broke an early 2-2 tie with an 8-0 run and never trailed in the game. The advantage grew to 25-6, but Converse rallied to trim the margin to 28-15 following a pair of free throws by Alaina Smith with 8:47 left in the opening half. The Patriots then scored the next seven points and led 58-26 at intermission.
The largest margin was 38 points, which FMU enjoyed on four occasions in the second half.
FMU converted the 55 Converse miscues into 43 points. The Patriots also held a 32-7 edge in fast-break points and dominated points-in-the-paint by a 56-18 margin.
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