Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan upset the Francis Marion Patriots on Monday evening in an 85-84 final score.

The Warriors shot 55.8% from the field and were 53.3% from beyond the arc in the victory over the Patriots.  Tyrin Hollis led the team with 22 points.  He was closely followed by Marcus Long with 21 points.  Bryson Felder and Raevon Allen also had double digits in scoring.  Felder recorded 18 points and Allen hit 17.  The Warriors totaled 24 assists in the game with both Griffin Effenberger and Hollis leading the team with seven assists each.

Southern Wesleyan collected 25 rebounds in the game.  Marcus Long led the team with six.  He was followed by Dyren Brown with five.  Bryson Felder had two of the three blocks of the game.  The Warriors had eight steals with Long leading the team with three.  Both Hollis and Brown followed with two steals.
 


 
 
Game Vitals

Final: Southern Wesleyan 85, Francis Marion 84

Records: Southern Wesleyan (3-15 / CC 3-7) Francis Marion (10-5 / CC 7-2)
 




Coach Hewitt says...

"Great signature win for our guys.  Felt like we were getting better and better, but just haven't been able to get over the hump.  However, tonight we were able to make enough shots, get enough stops, and our ball movement and patience on offense was a big key to the victory.  We played very well together as a team and had huge contributions from multiple people.  We can't dwell on it too long though because we have a great Converse team coming in here on Wednesday, but we beat a great team in Francis Marion tonight and I'm super proud of the fight in our guys."


 
 
How It Happened

Francis Marion took the first points of the game on a layup by Farid SaintCyr Jr.  However, a jump shot out of the hands of Tyrin Hollis allowed the Warriors to tie the game up.  Southern Wesleyan continued to press as Griffin Effenberger passed the ball down the court to Marcus Long who dunked it into the basket to put the Warriors ahead by two.  Francis Marion was not discouraged as baskets by Jonah Pierce and Tionne Rollins put them ahead 7-4.  Long stepped beyond the arc and collected a pass from Raevon Allen before sinking a three pointer to keep the Warriors within three points of the Patriots.  Alex Cox laid the ball up into the basket to extend Francis Marion's lead to 16-9.  A three point shot by Tyrin Hollis cut their lead down to four with just under twelve minutes left in the half.  Rollins stepped beyond the arc and sunk a three pointer.  Southern Wesleyan maintained the intensity as they battled back with three pointers by Bryson Felder and Tyrin Hollis to put them back within five.  Effenberger passed the ball behind the Patriots to Felder who dunked it into the net to put the Warriors down 30-27 with just over six minutes remaining on the clock.  Another basket out of the hands of Felder tied the game up.  Francis Marion pushed ahead as layups by Jonah Pierce and Tionne Rollins put them back on top.  However, Tyrin Hollis laid the ball up to put the Warriors down 43-38 at halftime.

The Patriots extended their lead to eight as Doug Alves stepped beyond the arc to sink a three point shot to kick off the second half.  Southern Wesleyan countered with a three pointer out of the hands of Marcus Long.  However, back-to-back layups by Jonah Pierce allowed the Patriots to push ahead.  Raevon Allen stepped beyond the arc to hit his first three point shot of the evening.  The Warriors maintained the intensity as Tyrin Hollis, Bryson Felder and Raevon Allen each hit three point baskets to put them back within two points of the Patriots.  Hollis passed the ball under the net to Allen who dunked it into the basket.  The Warriors attacks paid off as a three point shot by Marcus Long allowed them to take a one point lead with just over eleven minutes left on the clock.  Francis Marion countered with a dunk of their own to put them back on top.  A layup by Pierce extend the Patriots lead to four.  Southern Wesleyan would not back down as Tyrin Hollis put up a three point shot.  Layups by Jonah Pierce allowed the Patriots to maintain their lead.  Griffin Effenberger stepped beyond the arc and put up a three point shot of his own to put the Warriors back within one point.  However, the tide turned as Tionne Rollins fouled Tyrin Hollis as he was taking a three shot, bringing Hollis to the free throw line.  Hollis hit all three free throws to tie the game at 84-points apiece with just over twenty seconds left on the clock.  A second foul by Rollins brought Hollis back to the free throw line.  Hollis hit the final free throw to allow the Warriors to walk away with an 85-84 point victory over the Patriots.
 

 
 
What's Next

Southern Wesleyan will remain at home on January 18 as they host the Converse Valkyries at 7 p.m.  They will then host the University of Mount Olive Trojans on January 21 at 4 p.m. During the game, the Warriors will celebrate their Little Warrior Day with festivities and poster signings for all the children in attendance.  Southern Wesleyan will travel to Tigerville, SC to take on the North Greenville Crusaders on January 24 at 7 p.m.