McKenzie, Pirates Clip Francis Marion, 63-61, For Third Straight Win

(Release Courtesy of Francis Marion Sports Information)

FLORENCE, S.C. - Senior swingman Keron McKenzie came off the bench to score 15 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:12 remaining, as Armstrong Atlantic State University surprised Francis Marion University 63-61, Saturday afternoon (Feb. 6) in Peach Belt Conference men’s basketball action.

FMU drops its second consecutive game to fall to 16-5 overall and 8-4 in the Peach Belt. The loss was the Patriots’ first at home this season after nine straight wins.

Junior forward Simel Boyd came off the FMU bench to register team-high totals of 16 points and nine rebounds. Junior 6-7 forward David Turner added 13 points, all in the final 11 minutes, also in a reserve role.

Senior guard Gabriel Robinson led AASU (8-13, 3-9) with 18 points and nine assists while playing the entire contest.

Francis Marion missed 13 of its first 18 field goal attempts and committed six turnovers en route to trailing 19-13 with six minutes left in the opening half. A three-pointer by Bryant Julious and a fast-break dunk by Boyd quickly pulled the Patriots to within 19-18. However, the Pirates would stretch their margin to 27-23 at intermission.

Although Francis Marion twice pulled to within a single point, AASU held the lead for nearly the entire second stanza. The Pirates led 56-48 following a jump shot by Patrick Shokpeka with 4:07 left in the game. Senior Kaylan Anderson scored seven of the Patriots’ next eight points as FMU narrowed the gap to 58-56 with 1:59 remaining.

Following an AASU miss, guard Mike Candelaria drained a three-pointer from the left corner to give Francis Marion its only lead of the half, 59-58 with 1:26 left. Fourteen ticks later, McKenzie drilled his deciding three-pointer putting the Pirates back on top 61-59. After an FMU miss, Robinson hit 1-of-2 free throws with 26 seconds remaining to push the Pirate advantage to 62-59.

On the ensuing possession, Francis Marion missed two shots and Robinson sealed the win with a free throw at :05 to make it a four-point game. Turner scored on a tip-in at the final buzzer.

FMU will play at North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega, Ga., on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m., while AASU will play host to Lander University on Monday at 7:30 p.m.