Francis Marion, Lees-McRae Advance to Men’s Basketball Second Round on Monday

2/27/2022 7:15:24 PM

MOUNT OLIVE/WILSON, N.C. – The first round of the 2022 Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Championship saw No. 7 seed Lees-McRae and No. 9 seed Francis Marion advance to the second round.

In the 7-10 matchup in Wilson, North Carolina it was the Bobcats of Lees-McRae who advanced with an 80-73 win over 10th-seeded Chowan. The Banner Elk, North Carolina program raced out to a 41-28 lead at the half, but the Hawks used a 45-point second half to make the game close. Lees-McRae never trailed in the contest, but Chowan cur the margin to one point several times in the second half, but weren’t able to overtake the Bobcats. Drew Gardner of Lees-McRae led all scorers with 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while two others scored in double figures. Chowan had five players finish in double figures, led by Christian Koonce’s 19.

In the 8-9 matchup in Mount Olive, North Carolina the Patriots of Francis Marion used a 52-point second half to down No. 8 seed King, 90-83. The teams played an even first half, 38-38, and were tied as late as the 6:30 mark in the second half. Tied at 67, Jonah Pierce hit a layup for the Patriots and they outscored the Tornado 23-16 the rest of the way. Alex Cox led all scorers with 26 points for Francis Marion while Pierce finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds as four Patriots scored in double figures. King saw three players net 10-plus points led by Michael Mays’ 23 while Isaiah Curry added a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Francis Marion will face fifth-seeded Mount Olive on Monday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. while Lees-McRae will face No. 6 Barton also at 7 p.m. The winners of each contest will advance to the Quarterfinals held at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Friday, March 4.

Fans can watch every game of the tournament live via the Conference Carolinas Digital Network and BlueFrame at conferencecarolinasdn.com. Information regarding the championship schedule, bracket and Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium are available here.

2022 Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Championship
First Round – Sunday, February 27
#7 Lees-McRae defeated #10 Chowan at Barton, 80-73
#9 Francis Marion defeated #8 King at Mount Olive, 90-83

Second Round – Monday, February 28
#7 Lees-McRae at #6 Barton, 7 p.m.
#9 Francis Marion at #5 Mount Olive, 7 p.m.

Quarterfinals – Friday, March 4 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of #5-#8-#9 vs. #4 Southern Wesleyan, 11 a.m.
Winner of #6-#7-#10 vs. #3 Belmont Abbey, 1:30 p.m.

Semifinals – Saturday, March 5 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of #4-#5-#8-#9 vs. #1 UNC Pembroke, 12 p.m.
Winner of #3-#6-#7-#10 vs. #2 Emmanuel, 2:30 p.m.

Final – Sunday, March 6 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2, 1 p.m.