Tuesday, November 18, 2003

FRANCIS MARION RALLIES TO DEFEAT BLUE HOSE 62-56
Hinton Leads Second-Half Patriot Rally

FLORENCE, SC – Senior guard Jarron Hinton scored 12 of his career-high equaling 15 points in the second half as Francis Marion University rallied from a six-point halftime deficit for a 62-56 win over Presbyterian College in men’s non-conference action Tuesday night.

FMU ups its record to 3-0 for the first time in five seasons, while Presbyterian, an NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen squad last year, drops to 0-2 with its second road loss to a Peach Belt Conference member.  This was the first meeting between the two schools since the 1988-89 season.

Junior forward Louis McCullough led FMU with 17 points and seven rebounds, while senior 6-6 forward Randy Williams added 11 points and nine rebounds.  Ten of McCullough’s points also came after intermission.  Hinton registered five assists and five steals to go along with his 15 points.

Sophomore forward Michael Drum tallied 15 points, 13 of which came in the opening stanza, and senior guard Andrew Dellinger came off the Blue Hose bench to score 15 on five three-point field goals.

Francis Marion shot only 30.0 percent from the floor in the first half and Presbyterian used an 8-2 run to close the half to claim a 27-21 halftime lead.  The Patriots scored the first nine points of the second half to reclaim the lead at 30-27.  Presbyterian managed to hit only three of its first 17 field goal attempts after intermission and the FMU lead grew to 45-34 with seven minutes remaining.

A basket by Blue Hose sophomore Trey Ballenger trimmed the margin to 54-51 with 57 ticks left. Hinton then fed a full-court pass to McCullough for a layup, and following a Presbyterian free throw by Sean Dixon, Hinton drained two free throws with 22 seconds remaining to give FMU a 58-52 advantage.  After Ballenger missed a three-pointer, Hinton sealed the win with a pair of charity tosses with 11 second left.

Having made only 34 of 65 free throws during the opening two games, Francis Marion connected on 16 of 22 on Tuesday night, including its final eight attempts.

Francis Marion plays host to The Apprentice School, Friday at 7:30 p.m., while Presbyterian travels to Erskine College on the same night for a 7:30 p.m. contest.