AUGUSTA, Ga. – Stellar ball movement, hot shooting, and gritty defense made for a great night for GRU Augusta on both ends of the floor, culminating in a 60-47 victory over Peach Belt Conference foe Francis Marion in East division action at Christenberry Fieldhouse Thursday night.

The fruits of their offensive labors came early and often, such as when Henry McCarthy found himself all alone for three consecutive lay-ins after the ball had zipped in and out of the paint to draw defenders out of position. His final bucket started a 9-0 GRU run, boosted by a D'Angelo Boyce three and capped with Ryan Weems taking an inbounds pass and simply racing by his defender for a 22-14 lead, which was extended to 11 on two Weems free throws before a Patriots bucket ended the half.

After the break, Boyce stepped back and drained back-to-back threes, then threw it up for Roman Hill to slam it home. The Jaguars (10-2, 3-0 PBC) shot above 55 percent for most of the game before settling late and assisting on all 19 made field goals. They enjoyed a 16-to-5 free throw advantage and won the boards 30-21 with a collective team effort that saw 11 different players snag a rebound.

Ryan Weems paced the offense with 16 points, including 9-of-10 from the stripe, while Boyce added 11 with five assists, and McCarthy and Keshun Sherrill chipped in eight points each.

The defense, held FMU (3-6, 0-3) to a 42.2 percent shooting effort that allowed Robert Carpenter a game-high 18 points but all others to 29 combined, including a shutout of the Patriots bench.

The Jags are back in action Sunday, January 5 as they host UNC Pembroke in a PBC showdown, set to tip at 4 p.m.