AMERICUS, Ga. -- Quenten Taylor scored 16 of his game-high 25 points in the second half for the Georgia Southwestern State University men's basketball team to thwart any thoughts of a comeback by Francis Marion University in the Storm Dome on Saturday afternoon and guide the Hurricanes to a 93-71 victory. Hasaan Buggs posted his sixth consecutive double-double and Andre Statam turned in a 23-point effort to help GSW avenge a 20-point loss to the Patriots earlier this season. The Hurricanes improved to 9-3 overall and picked up their fifth straight Peach Belt Conference win (5-3) while Francis Marion suffered its fourth loss in five games and fell to 9-4, 4-4 in the PBC. The last time the Hurricanes won five conference games in a row was during the 2012-13 season.
How It Happened: The Hurricanes eclipsed their previous best shooting effort of the season, which was turned in Wednesday, by connecting on 33 of 59 shots to finish over 50 percent for the third consecutive game. GSW has shot 50 percent or better in eight of its last nine halves and the 93 points on Saturday is a season high.
Francis Marion held its only lead, 2-0, for the opening three minutes of the game. Devin Watson put GSW on the board with a jumper off an offensive rebound at the 17:00 mark and Statam made a layup on the ensuing possession. GSW led by as many as 17 points in the first half, sparked by a 14-2 run, and took a 42-28 lead into the break.
Francis Marion opened the second half with an 11-4 spurt to pull within seven points, but Statam momentarily halted the Patriots momentum with a 3-pointer. Following a GSW timeout, Detrek Browning answered with a 3-pointer for FMU to get within seven points once again. That was the number the Patriots couldn't clear. GSW outscored FMU, 22-12, over the next eight minutes to build the margin back up to 17 points, 71-54, and put the game out of reach. GSW continued to distance itself from FMU and Dajion Macklien made a layup with 30 seconds remaining to give the Hurricanes a 24-point lead (93-69), their largest of the afternoon, with 30 seconds to play.
FMU pulled down four more rebounds than GSW (39-35), but the Hurricanes forced three more turnovers (9-6) and dished out six more assists (16-10).
Who Stood Out: Taylor made both of his 3-point attempts, 6 of 8 shots overall and 11 of 12 from the free throw line. He added four assists and five rebounds. Statam drained 8 of 12 shots. Buggs continues to put up eye-popping numbers as he finished with 16 points, behind of 6 of 11 shooting, pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, blocked five shots and threw in four assists. Buggs leads the PBC in field goal percentage. John Mason made 4 of 5 shots and finished with 10 points off the bench.
Up Next: GSW wraps up its three-game homestand on Monday against PBC leader, UNC Pembroke. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.