Sizzling Jaguars claw Francis Marion 75-54

AUGUSTA, GA – Bolstered by a sizzling first-half shooting exhibition, fourth-ranked Augusta State University cruised to a 75-54 Peach Belt Conference win over Francis Marion University, Wednesday night (Jan. 21) in men’s basketball action.

Francis Marion loses its second straight game to fall to 10-4 overall and 3-4 in the PBC.

Junior guard Anthony Wallen came off the Patriot bench to lead FMU with 11 points. Sophomore 6-7 forward David Turner, who returned to the Patriot lineup after missing eight games with a foot injury, added nine points and six rebounds.

Junior guard Ben Madgen led ASU (13-3, 7-2) with 20 points, while 7-foot, 291-pound senior center Garret Siler tallied 17 points, six rebounds, and three blocked shots.

Augusta State, ranked 19th nationally in team field goal percentage, connected on 21 of 28 first-half shots (75 percent), while FMU shot 30.3 percent over the opening 20 minutes, including 3-of-16 from beyond the three-point arc.

Madgen scored the game’s opening five points on a three-pointer and a layup. Siler added a dunk to give ASU a quick 7-0 lead, an advantage the Jaguars would never relinquish.

A three-pointer by Wallen drew Francis Marion to within 19-14 with 11:06 left in the first stanza, but ASU scored eight straight points to push the margin back to double digits. After Wallen’s bucket, the Jaguars outscored FMU 30-9 over the final 11 minutes of the half to lead 49-23 at halftime.

The margin would swell to 32 points (55-23) early in the second half. A 22-2 run by Francis Marion brought the Patriots to within 12 at 57-45 with 8:36 left on the clock. However ASU ran off the next 13 points to lead 70-45 and douse any hopes of a comeback by the Patriots.

Francis Marion will entertain Clayton State University on Saturday at 4 p.m.

By Michael G. Hawkins