MORROW, GA – Junior point guard Kevina Ransom continued her stellar play with a career-high 24 points, eight assists, and five steals as Francis Marion University rallied to beat Clayton State University 84-76, Saturday afternoon (Jan. 26) in Peach Belt Conference women’s basketball action.
With the road win, FMU improves to 13-2 overall and 6-2 in the PBC. The Patriots are a half-game behind conference-leading Lander University, which lost on Saturday, and whom the Patriots play in Greenwood on Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m.
Ransom came off the Francis Marion bench and hit on 8-of-15 field goal attempts and 7-of-11 free throws in only 27 minutes. Her five thefts were just under her nation-leading steals per game average of 5.3. Over the past six contests, the 5-5 Roanoke Rapids, N.C., native is averaging 15.7 points, 6.5 assists, and 6.2 steals per game.
Four other Patriots scored in double digits on Saturday: Yasmean Dixon 14, Shannon Singleton-Bates 14, Brittany Young 11, and Ebony Allen 10. Young pushed her career point total to 992, eight shy of becoming the 24th Patriot to eclipse the 1,000-point barrier.
Clayton State led by as many as nine points in the opening half before settling for a 40-33 halftime advantage. Ransom and Dixon combined for 24 of FMU’s 33 first-half points, but the other Patriots connected on only 4-of-19 shots over the first 20 minutes.
However in the second stanza, Young scored all 11 of her points and Singleton-Bates 12 of her 14, while the Patriots forced 19 Laker turnovers.
Clayton State did expand its lead to 44-34 early in the second frame, but a 17-3 Francis Marion run over a four-minute span put the Patriots on top 51-47. The lead see-sawed back-and-forth until a three-pointer by FMU junior Jennifer Dyer put the Patriots on top for good at 68-66 with 5:38 remaining. That bucket began a 9-0 spurt that gave FMU a 74-66 advantage.
Clayton State did trim the margin to 76-72 with 2:24 left, but two baskets by Singleton-Bates (both off assists from Ransom) and a layup by Dyer extended the Patriot lead to 82-72 with 1:24 on the clock.
For the game, FMU forced 32 Clayton State turnovers that resulted in 25 Francis Marion points. The Patriot bench also outscored the Laker bench 44-16.
1-26-08 2 p.m. at Morrow, Ga. (Athletics & Fitness Center)
FRANCIS MARION 84, CLAYTON STATE 76
FRANCIS MARION (13-2, 6-2)
Ransom, Kevina 8-15 7-11 24; Singleton-Bates, Sha 4-9 6-7 14; Dixon, Yasmean
5-15 4-6 14; Young, Brittany 3-5 4-4 11; Allen, Ebony 5-8 0-0 10;
Singletary,Creshenda 1-6 3-4 6; Dyer, Jennifer 2-7 0-0 5; Marsh, Kirby 0-0
0-0 0; Downer, Shonelle 0-0 0-0 0; Ruff, Evelyn 0-3 0-0 0; Morgan, Shaquana
0-2 0-1 0; Grayson, Rita 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 28-73 24-33 84.
CLAYTON STATE (11-6, 6-4)
St. Fort, Marie 10-13 3-4 26; Phillips, Roberta 2-6 4-6 9; Ragin, Shantel
4-11 1-2 9; Jennings, Dominique 4-9 0-2 9; Jackson, Lisa 3-7 2-2 8;
Whitlock, Arlanderia 3-8 2-4 8; Hardeman, Shanrika 1-9 5-10 7; Yates, Tierra
0-0 0-0 0; Larry, Kimberly 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 27-66 17-30 76.
Halftime: Clayton State 40 Francis Marion 33.
3-point goals-Francis Marion 4-8 (Young, Brittany 1-1; Dyer, Jennifer 1-3;
Ransom, Kevina 1-2; Singletary,Creshenda 1-2), Clayton State 5-9 (St. Fort,
Marie 3-4; Phillips, Roberta 1-1; Jennings, Dominique 1-2; Whitlock,
Arlanderia 0-1; Jackson, Lisa 0-1). Fouled out--Francis Marion-Dixon,
Yasmean, Clayton State-Whitlock, Arlanderia. Rebounds-Francis Marion 43
(Singletary,Creshenda 7), Clayton State 50 (Hardeman, Shanrika 13).
Assists-Francis Marion 16 (Ransom, Kevina 8), Clayton State 16 (Ragin,
Shantel 6). Total fouls-Francis Marion 28, Clayton State 23. A-173
Men's Sports
