Lakers sail past Patriots in second half for 63-53 win

By Michael G. Hawkins

FLORENCE, SC – After claiming a two-point halftime lead, the Francis Marion University offense sputtered in the second half allowing Clayton State University to rally for a 63-53 win, Saturday evening (Jan. 24) in Peach Belt Conference men’s basketball action.

Francis Marion (10-5, 3-5) drops its third straight contest and fifth in its last seven games.

Senior forward Sam Smith paced the Patriots with 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds, with 11 of his points coming in the second half when FMU managed only 28. Senior forward Kevin Clark added 12 points, 11 of which came in the opening stanza.

Junior guard Eric Wilson was the lone Laker (11-5, 4-5) to reach double figures with 12 points. Ten of his points, including an 8-of-10 showing at the foul line, came in the final six minutes.

Both teams managed four-point leads in the opening half. A three-pointer and a layup, both by Clark, on back-to-back FMU possessions helped the Patriots grab a 25-23 halftime advantage.

Clayton State outscored Francis Marion 14-6 to open the second half and took a 37-31 lead with 13 minutes remaining. A pair of charity tosses by Will Lewis gave the Lakers a 49-40 lead with five minutes left on the clock. Two layups by Smith a basket by Matt French drew FMU to within 49-46 with 3:31 remaining. However, Clayton State responded with a 10-0 run to lead 59-46 in the final minute.

Over the final 20 minutes, Francis Marion shot 39.4 percent, including 1-of-11 from three-point range and only 1-of-5 at the free throw line. FMU finished the game only 6-of-15 at the stripe, while Lakers sank 21 of 30 freebies.

Francis Marion will play host to long-time rival Lander University on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.