FLORENCE, S.C. – Senior swingman George Walker scored a career-high 24 points and Francis Marion University survived two potential game-tying three-point attempts in the final six seconds to grab a 64-61 win over Lander University, Saturday afternoon (Jan. 28) in Peach Belt Conference men's basketball action.
Guards Michael Jenkins and Vony Rivers followed Walker with 12 and 10 points respectively. Jenkins also handed out six assists.
FMU (8-10, 3-8) snapped a five-game PBC losing streak, while completing the season sweep of the Bearcats (5-12, 2-8). The Patriots' win earlier this season in Greenwood, was also a three-point decision.
Guard Michael Griffin led Lander with 14 points and four assists, while junior 6-8 center Emanuel Hodrea added 10 points and six rebounds. The Bearcats' leading scorer Jarred Jackson was held to three points, nine below his season average.
The two squads battle through a tight first half, with FMU once owning a six-point margin at 15-9 and Lander grabbing a five-point lead at 32-27 just before halftime. Francis Marion tallied the half's final two baskets on layups by Walker and Reinaldo Charles to trail only 32-31 at intermission.
Two Walker free throws to open the second stanza sparked a 13-2 Patriot run, as FMU went up 44-34 with 14 minutes remaining. Lander responded with its own 13-2 run to claim a 47-46 advantage following a Derek Brooks' three-pointer with 10:07 left.
With two minutes on the clock, the score was tied at 56-56. Walker converted a three-point play to put the Patriots up 59-56, but Griffin answered with a three-point field goal to again deadlock the contest, 59-59 with 1:17 left. Following a Lander timeout, Rivers took a Jenkins' feed and drained a three-pointer from the right corner to give Francis Marion a 62-59 lead with 1:07 on the clock.
Following a Griffin layup attempt that was blocked by Walker, Charles pushed the Patriot lead to 64-59 with a pair of free throws. On the ensuing possession, Lander's Jahi Rawlings quickly pushed the ball up the floor and found Hodrea underneath for a layup with 14 ticks left. Rivers was then called for traveling, but Lander's Jason Davis missed on a potential game-tying three-point attempt at :06. FMU was awarded the ball when the miss hit a wire above the goal, but the Patriots turned over the ball on the in-bounds pass, giving Lander one more opportunity. Griffin was short on a three-point attempt as time expired.
FMU shot 46.9 percent from the field, its highest mark in the past nine games. The Patriots were nine-of 23 from the beyond the three-point arc, while Lander hit 10-of-22 long-range attempts. Francis Marion also blocked a season-high nine shots, including four by Walker. Lander hurt its cause by missing eight of 13 free throws.
Francis Marion will play at North Georgia College & State University, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., while Lander plays at Clayton State University the same evening.
