MILLEDGEVILLE, GA – Georgia College & State University took advantage of 33 turnovers by 24th-ranked Francis Marion University and the Lady Bobcats held off the Patriots for a 90-84 Peach Belt Conference win, Saturday night (Jan. 19) in women’s basketball action.
FMU falls to 11-2 overall and 4-2 in the PBC and sees its seven-game winning streak snapped. The Patriots entered the game having an opportunity to tie for the conference lead as PBC leader Lander University lost earlier in the day.
Junior guard Jennifer Dyer led the Patriots with 21 points, her third 20-point game in the past four outings. Reserve forward Creshenda Singletary added 18 points, while freshman Shannon Singleton-Bates scored 13 and junior point guard Kevina Ransom tallied 12 points, seven assists six rebounds, and six steals, maintaining her nation-leading average in that final category.
Guard Lindsey Smith paced GC&SU (9-4, 4-2) with 21 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds, while forward Emily Bixler added 17 points and 11 rebounds.
GC&SU led by as many as 13 points in the opening half before settling for a 44-35 advantage at halftime.
The margin was 11 points, at 54-43, with 16:22 remaining when Dyer and Singleton-Bates sparked a 17-4 run that gave the Patriots a 60-58 lead with 13:06 on the clock. A free throw by FMU’s Yasmean Dixon put the Patriots ahead 67-62, but a quick 8-0 spurt by the Lady Bobcats reversed the advantage at the midway point of the stanza.
FMU would go back up, and led 75-71 following a Singletary lay-in with 7:20 remaining. With five minutes left, the score was knotted at 77-77. GC&SU would push ahead 84-79 following a pair of Smith free throws at the 2:31 mark. FMU senior guard Brittany Young then scored five straight Patriot points to trim the margin to 85-84 with 1:11 left.
Bixler then drained two free throws, and following an FMU turnover, Jessica Baker hit two more at the line to give the Lady Bobcats an 89-84 lead with under 20 seconds left.
GC&SU converted the 33 FMU miscues into 30 points. Francis Marion also committed 33 fouls resulting in 44 Lady Bobcats free throws, of which they made 29. FMU did outrebound GC&SU 46-43 and held an 18-10 margin in second-chance points.
Francis Marion returns home to face Augusta State University on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in team’s first-ever White-Out Night. All fans attending are encouraged to wear white, and the first 200 fans attending the game and wearing white will receive a free T-shirt.
1-19-08 5:30 p.m. at Milledgeville, Ga. (Centennial Center)
GCSU 90, FRANCIS MARION 84
FRANCIS MARION (#24 11-2, 4-2)
Dyer, Jennifer 7-15 3-4 21; Singletary,Creshenda 6-13 6-8 18;
Singleton-Bates, Sha 6-10 1-1 13; Ransom, Kevina 4-10 3-4 12; Young,
Brittany 3-14 1-3 8; Allen, Ebony 2-5 1-2 5; Dixon, Yasmean 2-4 1-2 5; Ruff,
Evelyn 1-2 0-0 2; Kiefer, Katherine 0-0 0-0 0; Guilliams, Renee 0-0 0-0 0;
Grayson, Rita 0-0 0-0 0; Morgan, Shaquana 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 31-76 16-24 84.
GCSU (9-4, 4-2 PBC)
Smith, Lindsey 8-17 5-9 21; Bixler, Emily 6-10 5-9 17; Huffin, Dominique 2-4
5-8 10; Lynch, Elicia 3-12 4-4 10; Baker, Jessica 2-2 5-6 10; Williams,
Ashley 3-9 3-4 9; Brantley, Tiauna 3-7 2-2 8; Dudish, Mandi 2-3 0-0 5;
Wimbish, Tonisha 0-1 0-0 0; Herndon, Katie 0-2 0-2 0. Totals 29-67 29-44 90.
Halftime: GCSU 44 Francis Marion 35.
3-point goals-Francis Marion 6-20 (Dyer, Jennifer 4-9; Young, Brittany 1-7;
Ransom, Kevina 1-3; Singletary,Creshenda 0-1), GCSU 3-13 (Dudish, Mandi 1-2;
Huffin, Dominique 1-2; Baker, Jessica 1-1; Lynch, Elicia 0-6; Bixler, Emily
0-2). Fouled out--Francis Marion-Ransom, Kevina; Allen, Ebony, GCSU-None.
Rebounds-Francis Marion 46 (Young, Brittany 6; Ransom, Kevina 6), GCSU 43
(Bixler, Emily 11). Assists-Francis Marion 17 (Ransom, Kevina 7), GCSU 17
(Smith, Lindsey 7). Total fouls-Francis Marion 33, GCSU 19. A-382
Men's Sports
