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Florida Memorial University Athletics

Scoreboard

Generic
82
Middle Georgia MGA 1-1
89
Winner Florida Memorial FMU 1-1
Middle Georgia MGA
1-1
82
Final
89
Florida Memorial FMU
1-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Middle Georgia MGA 36 46 82
Florida Memorial FMU 48 41 89

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | J.T. Wilcox, Sports Information Director

Holcombe & Benton Lead Lions MBB Past Middle Georgia State Friday

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Graduate senior Brent Holcombe and senior Corey Benton scored 27 and 23 points respectively to lead Florida Memorial University to a 89-83 win over Middle Georgia State University Friday night in the Lions' first game in the Jimmy Faulkner Classic at Faulkner University's Tine W. Davis Gymnasium.
 
Holcombe added 7 rebounds and a blocked shot and Benton buoyed his point total with 6 boards and 3 assists as FMU outscored the Knights 32-9 over the final 11 minutes of the first half to take a 12-point lead into halftime that it never relinquished and expanded to as many as 17 through the second half before cruising into the final 89-81 margin.
 
Middle Georgia drew as close as five midway through the second half, but the Lions (2-1) responded with another big run – this time a 10-0 spurt – to completely quell the Knights' (2-3) hopes of a rally.
 
Florida Memorial head coach Ansar Al-Ameen mixed up his starting lineup for the game against Middle Georgia, a team that FMU had not beaten prior to Friday night, starting 6-foot-10 graduate senior Jethro Tshisumpa next to Holcombe in the frontcourt and going with a three-guard backcourt of Carington Campbell, Anfernee King, and Eric Hester – electing to bring Benton in off the bench.
 
Benton, a former NAIA All-American at Columbia International University (S.C.), responded with his efficient shooting night from the field up to this point in the season – going 7-of-12 overall, 4-of-8 from three-point range and 5-for-7 from the free throw line in 34 minutes of action.
 
Hester, who previously played at the University of Florida prior to joining the Lions and was making his debut with the team Saturday, finished with 9 points and a team-high 5 assists in 29 minutes. Tshisumpa chipped in a career-high 12 points and tied for the game-high with 9 rebounds while also swatting three shots.
 
The biggest and most tangible change for the Lions – from their performance this past Wednesday at No. 9 Talladega College – was their shooting as a team. Florida Memorial shot 50 percent from the field and 36 percent from three as a team Friday, a far cry better than the 31 and 22 percent clips they posted earlier this week.
 
Up next for Florida Memorial will be a major test against tournament host Faulkner University – another team that the Lions have never defeated in the previous meetings between the programs – Saturday night at 8 p.m. in the tourney's nightcap finale.
 
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