Patriot Men fall at #25 GC&SU 71-61

MILLEDGEVILLE, GA - Guard Graham Martin scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead 25th-ranked Georgia College & State University to a 71-61 victory over Francis Marion University, Friday night (Jan. 29) in a match-up of Peach Belt Conference division leaders. 

The FMU men saw their fourth-game winning streak stopped while dropping to 15-3 overall and 7-2 in the PBC.  The Patriots were trying for their second straight win at GC&SU, having beaten a nationally ranked Bobcat squad late last season.  GC&SU improves to 15-2 and is the lone unbeaten team in Peach Belt play at 8-0.

Junior swingman Simel Boyd led Francis Marion with 12 points, while Kendrick Robinson and David Turner each scored eight points.

GC&SU broke an early 6-6 deadlock with a 9-0 spurt.  FMU pulled to within 21-19 and trailed 35-29 at halftime.

A three-pointer by Mike Candelaria brought the Patriots to within 41-38, but again the Bobcats scored nine consecutive points to lead 50-38.  FMU trimmed the margin to seven at 55-48 following a free throw by Turner with 5:59 remaining.  The Bobcats responded with five straight points to go up 60-48.

The Patriots did get the margin under double figures in the final minutes, including 64-56 after a Kaylan Anderson layup with 1:52 left, but were unable to get any closer.

The Bobcats hit 25-of-31 free throws, while Francis Marion was only 12-of-19 at the charity stripe.

Francis Marion will tackle its second straight nationally ranked opponent when the Patriots play at 24th-ranked University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Ala., on Sunday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. (eastern time).

1-29-10 7:30 p.m. at Milledgeville, GA (Centennial Center)
#25 GEORGIA COLLEGE 71, FRANCIS MARION 61
FRANCIS MARION (15-3, 7-2 PBC)
Boyd, Simel 4-7 4-6 12; Turner, David 2-5 3-5 8; Robinson, Kendrick 3-6 0-0 8; Mains, Herman 3-7 0-0 7; Gullatte, Edward 2-4 2-2 6; Candelaria, Mike 2-4 0-0 6; Faulkner, Robert 2-3 1-2 5; Julious, Bryant 1-3 1-2 4; Anderson, Kaylan 2-12 0-0 4; Smith, Andrew 0-1 1-2 1; Petreikis, Mindaugas 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-53 12-19 61.
GEORGIA COLLEGE (#25  15-2, 8-0)
Martin, Graham 7-15 8-8 24; Thomas, Robert 3-5 4-4 10; Hurst, Josh 2-4 4-4 9; Rowland, Ty 3-7 1-2 9; Rios, Jake 1-3 4-4 7; Aquino, Ryan 3-6 0-1 6; Mikell, Andre 1-6 3-6 5; Fildes, Trent 0-0 1-2 1; Hamilton, Nate 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-47 25-31 71.
Halftime: Georgia College 35 Francis Marion 29
3-point goals--Francis Marion 7-17 (Candelaria 2-4; Robinson 2-4; Julious 1-2; Mains 1-1; Turner 1-3; Anderson 0-2; Boyd 0-1), Georgia College 6-18 (Rowland 2-3; Martin 2-4; Hurst 1-2; Rios 1-3; Hamilton 0-1; Mikell 0-4; Aquino 0-1). Fouled out--None. Rebounds--Francis Marion 30 (Anderson 6; Mains 6), Georgia College 35 (Aquino 8; Martin 8). Assists-Francis Marion 14 (Anderson 5), Georgia College 11 (Martin 3; Mikell 3). Total fouls--Francis Marion 22, Georgia College 15. Technical fouls--None. A-833