Patriots celebrate Senior Night vs Lander on Wednesday

The Francis Marion University men's and women's basketball teams will celebrate Senior Night when the Patriots play host to Lander University for a key Peach Belt Conference doubleheader on Wednesday evening (Feb. 17).

The women's game will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men's contest at 7:30 p.m. in the Smith University Center.  General admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students.  FMU students are admitted free with ID.

The women's game will be broadcast on WWFN The Fan, 100.1 FM beginning at 7 p.m. (followed by the men's game), and both contests will be televised live on Channel 11 of Florence's Time Warner Cable system as well as streamed on the internet at http://www.pennatlantic.com/main.php?module=event-results&searchIt=yes .

The women's game will feature a pair of Top 25 squads and the top two teams in the PBC's East Division.  Francis Marion (20-3, 12-2) is ranked 19th in the latest poll, while Lander (21-1, 14-0) is seventh.   The Patriots have won 10 of their last 11 overall contests and 39 of their last 44 home games, while Lander has won 14 straight.  FMU leads the all-time series 50-21, although the squads have evenly split the last 12 meetings.

The FMU Women will honor five seniors prior to tip-off: guards Eboni Fields and Shana Franks and forwards Dawn Coleman, Nicole Mealing, and Precious Tucker.

The Francis Marion men (17-6, 9-5) are looking to maintain a hold on second place in the East Division and a possible first-round home contest in the PBC Tournament.  The Bearcats are 11-12 overall and 5-9 in the PBC and in fourth place in the East Division.

FMU trails in the all-time men's series 45-37, although the Patriots have won 10 of the past 16 meetings.

The Patriot Men will honor three seniors: guards Herman Mains and Kendrick Robinson and forward Kaylan Anderson.