The Presbyterian College men's basketball team rallied from a nine-point deficit to tie the game with just over a minute remaining, but two clutch Terrier baskets the final minute proved too much as the Blue Hose dropped a 63-64 decision to St. Francis Brooklyn in action Tuesday afternoon at the Pope Center in Brooklyn Heights, N.C.  Chris Martin and JC Younger led the team with 12 points apiece.
 
Scoring the game
A close game in the opening minutes, St. Francis used a 9-2 run to open up a 17-9 lead, 13:10 on the clock. Trailing 13-19, 10:58 left, PC used a Chris Martin layup and a JC Younger three, to cut the margin to one, 18-19, 9:28 to go.  SFC ended the short drought with a free throw and Milija Cosic layup at 8:33 to build the lead to three, 22-19. The Blue Hose took their first lead since early in the half with a 6-0 run to lead 25-24, 4:38 on the clock.  It was short-lived with a SFC layup at 4:23 putting the home team back on top, 26-25.  SFC went back up off a Cosic layup but PC responded a minute later with a Younger three-pointer and Michael Isler dunk, off a steal in enemy territory, to make it a 32-30 lead, 2:19 left.  A couple of SFC free throws knotted the game at 32-32, with Chauncey Hawkins nailing a three-pointer at the 25 second mark to put the team ahead by three.  Martin was fouled with three seconds remaining and hit both free throws to make it a one-point game at the break, 34-35.
 
Tied at 40-40 early in the second half, SFC hit five unanswered to build the lead to five until another Younger three cut the margin to two, 14:19 on the clock.  SFC used a basket at 13:55 to take a four-point lead, 47-43.  The Blue Hose answered with three straight baskets from three different players to retake the lead, 49-47, 11:45.  Deniz Celen and Hawkins responded for SFC with back to back baskets and a free throw to make it a three-point game, 52-49, 10:50 remaining. It was the start of a 9-0 run to propel the home team to a 58-49 lead, 8:19 to go.  Ben Drake's layup at 7:58 ended the drought and cut the margin to seven, 51-58.  Isler and Younger added free throws to cut it to 53-58, 4:14 on the clock.  It ignited an 11-2 run, highlighted by the Owen McCormack three-pointer at 2:41, as PC knotted the game at 60-60, 1:20 to go.  SFC retook the lead just a few seconds later with a dunk by Unique McLean.  The Terriers capitalized on a PC turnover and added a layup with six seconds to go to go ahead by four.  CJ Melton hit a three-pointer with a second to go to cut the margin to one 63-64, but were unable to get the ball back to fall, 63-64.
 
Players of the Game
Chris Martin, who recorded 10 points in the first half, finished with 12 for the game.  He led the team on the boards with six.  JC Younger scored 12 points as well, nine of which came off three three-pointers.  Michael Isler posted 11 points after going five-of-eight from the field. Unique McLean lead SFC with 19 points and eight rebounds.
 
Stats of the Game
PC shot 52.4% in the second half to finish the game with 48.9%, while the Terriers shot 39.3%.  Rebounds were fairly even with SFC holding a 35-33 edge.  Both teams hit 11 free throws, while PC posted six three-pointers, to the Terriers five.  SFC recorded 11 turnovers to PC's 17, but the home team took more of an advantage with a 16-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
For the Record
PC drops to 2-7 overall, while SFC improves to 3-6.
 
Notables
Chris Martin went six-for-six from the charity stripe, tying the PC DI record.
CJ Melton recorded a career-high seven points.
 
Up Next
The Blue Hose are off for exams the rest of the week and return to action Dec. 18, when they host Jacksonville at 7 p.m.  The two teams met twice last season with each program earning road wins.  PC won at Jacksonville, Dec. 4, 2018, 94-88, but dropped a 67-72 decision at Templeton Center.