DAYTONA, Fla. ------ Junior
Jarett Croff tallied his first double-double of the season, posting 10 points and 14 rebounds, but the Auburn Montgomery men's basketball team was unable to hold on to a halftime lead and fell 77-75 in overtime to Francis Marion Friday in the opener of the Daytona Mitsubishi/Kia Shootout, hosted by Embry-Riddle.
NOTES
• The Warhawks fell to 0-5 on the season.
• The Patriots improved to 2-3 overall.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Croff, who played all 45 minutes for AUM, finished 5-of-9 from the field for the 10 points. He pulled down four offensive boards and 10 defensive rebounds, while adding three assists in the contest.
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Julius McCoy came off the bench and scored a team-high 15 points, hitting 4-of-8 from behind the arc. He chipped in two assists and two steals.
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Desmond DeRamus scored 14 points, pulled down six rebounds, had three assists and two steals.
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Darrion Taylor continued his hot shooting, hitting 4-of-9 from distance, to score 14 points off the bench.
• Warren Specht scored a game-high 20 points for the Patriots, adding eight rebounds, three assists, a pair of blocks and two steals.
• Detrek Browning (16) and Kenneth Jackson (15) also scored in double figures for FMU.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Warhawks opened the game fast, outscoring the Patriots 13-7 in the first 6:33, capped by a
Michael Bryant layup.
• FMU rallied and took a three-point lead, 25-22, with 5:42 remaining in the half on a pair of Specht free throws. However, the Warhawks countered and took a 32-29 lead on a Croff bucket with 2:12 remaining. After the Patriots tied the score with 36 seconds to play, McCoy hit a trey with three seconds left in the half to give AUM a 35-32 halftime lead.
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Romoane Eager and Croff each hit baskets to open the second half and gave the Warhawks their largest lead of the game, 39-32, with 19:01 to play.
• Francis Marion answered with a 16-7 run and took a 48-46 lead with 13:17 remaining on a three-point play by Daniel Bridges.
• Down the stretch of the second half, the two squads stayed within three points of each other. Trailing 61-64,
Lafayette James-Core drained a 3-pointer for the Warhawks with 1:30 remaining. With FMU leading 66-64 following a Judah Alexander layup in the final minute, Taylor found Croff for a game-tying dunk to send the game into overtime.
• In the extra period, the two teams exchanged a pair of buckets, before the Patriots pulled ahead 74-70 with four consecutive points with just 58 seconds remaining.
• Taylor pulled AUM within one, 74-73, with a trey with 42 seconds remaining and a pair of DeRamus free throws also kept the Warhawks within one, 76-75, with eight seconds left.
• After Browning hit 1-of-2 from the charity stripe with six seconds left, Taylor gave the Warhawks a shot at the win, but his 3-point attempt missed in the final second.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• AUM converted 28-of-70 from the field, including 13-of-34 from distance. The Warhawks also hit 6-of-7 from the charity stripe.
• The Patriots finished 25-of-58 from the floor, but hit just 5-of-21 from behind the arc. Francis Marion also attempted 27 free throws, hitting 22.
• The Warhawks fell in the rebounding margin, 45-35. Despite being outrebounded on the offensive end 10-8, AUM held a 14-7 advantage in second chance points.
• AUM forced 15 turnovers, leading to 16 points. The Warhawks committed just 12 turnovers.
• Francis Marion held a 38-26 advantage in scoring in the paint.
UP NEXT
The Warhawks will conclude play at the Daytona Mitsubishi/Kia Shootout Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m., against either host Embry-Riddle or St. Augustine's.
