Pirates sail by Patriots in overtime 77-66

FLORENCE, SC – Junior Dwight Tolbert scored on a jumper in the lane with five seconds left to force overtime and Armstrong Atlantic State University outscored Francis Marion University 16-5 in the extra session to claim a 77-66 Peach Belt Conference victory, Wednesday night (Feb. 25) in men’s basketball action.

With the Senior Night loss, Francis Marion drops to 16-10 overall and 9-10 in the PBC, while AASU improves to 21-5 and 14-5.

Playing his final home contest, FMU senior forward Kevin Clark posted his eighth double-double of the year with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocked shots. Senior guard Houston Power came off the Patriot bench to add a season-high 16 points, while senior point guard Crayton Jones tallied six points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.

Tolbert led the Pirates with 24 points, including a 5-of-7 night from beyond the three-point arc, while T.T. Hall added 14 points, and Brian Moultrie 12 points and seven rebounds.

AASU shot 27 of 31 at the foul line, including 11-of-12 in the extra period.

A 15-foot jumper by Power had given Francis Marion a 60-59 advantage with 27 seconds left in regulation. On the ensuing possession, Hall turned the ball over on a palming violation. Power was then fouled but made only one of two shots to put FMU up 61-59 with 12 ticks left. Following an AASU timeout, Tolbert took the in-bounds pass and drove into the lane where he drained a 10-foot shot. Jones then raced the ball up the floor, but his floater at the final horn was no good.

In the overtime, AASU scored the first five points, all from the free throw line, and never trailed.

Francis Marion held AASU to 1-of-10 shooting from the floor to open the game as the Patriots took a 14-3 lead, with Clark scoring FMU’s first dozen points. The lead was 11 points at 19-8 before AASU used a 13-2 run to knot the score at 21-21. A jumper by Hall just before the halftime buzzer gave the Pirates a 25-23 lead at intermission.

Francis Marion would retake the lead in the second half and led by as many as eight points at 43-35 after a Sam Smith basket with 9:38 remaining. A layup by Clark gave Francis Marion a 53-47 margin with 3:51 left, but AASU scored the next seven points to go up 54-53 following a three-pointer by Hall. The score was later tied at 56, 57, and 58 before the final minute.

FMU held AASU to 35 percent shooting, but the Pirates held a 19-6 edge in second-chance points.

Francis Marion will close out its regular season on Saturday at Clayton State University in a 4 p.m. match-up.

By Michael G. Hawkins