AIKEN -- Second-seeded USC Aiken used a 17-0 run early in the game, holding third-seeded Francis Marion scoreless for over seven minutes, en route to an 80-59 victory Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Peach Belt Conference men's basketball tournament.
Francis Marion ends its season with an 18-10 record, the second-most wins for the program this decade. USCA (17-10) advances to the tournament semifinals on Saturday evening.
Senior guard Kendrick Robinson, playing his final game, led FMU with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including hitting 4-of-7 three-pointers. Junior forward Simel Boyd tallied 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and grabbed a team-high five rebounds.
Guard Byron Faison led USCA with 20 points.
A 3-pointer by Robinson tied the game at 10-10 with 14:28 left in the first half. The Pacers then ran off 17 consecutive points before Boyd scored on a lay-up at the 7:11 mark to break the Patriot drought.
USCA would expand its lead to 44-16 at halftime. The Pacers shot 59.3 percent from the floor over the opening 20 minutes, while holding FMU to only seven made baskets and 29.2 percent shooting.
The Patriots would get no closer than 18 points in the second half.
Two other Patriots seniors ended their careers: guard Herman Mains and swingman Kaylan Anderson.
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