FLORENCE, SC – Senior guard Brittany Young scored a game-high 21 points and junior forward Crenshenda Singletary scored all 10 of her points in the second half as 25th-ranked Francis Marion University pulled away for an 85-75 Peach Belt Conference win over UNC Pembroke, Wednesday night (Feb. 13) in women’s action.
The Patriots, who took five offensive changes at the defensive end, improve to 18-4 overall and moved back into sole possession of first place in the PBC with an 11-4 mark. Columbus State University, which had been tied with FMU, lost 92-72 at North Georgia College & State University on Wednesday.
Sophomore forward Yasmean Dixon added 14 points for FMU, while guard Jennifer Dyer chipped in 10. Point guard Kevina Ransom, the nation’s steals leader, tallied eight points, eight assists, and seven steals. With her point total, Young moved past former FMU guard Sherer Gordon and into 23rd place on the Patriot career scoring list with 1,098 points.
Center Natalie Ray paced UNCP (7-15, 2-13) with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Chevoya Jackson scored 17, Lavantay Johnson 14, and Victoria Willis 12.
Francis Marion again used its full-court pressure defense to force 34 turnovers and the Patriots held a 39-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
The first half was tightly contested with the teams trading the lead and four points being the widest margin. FMU led 37-36 at the break.
FMU came out in the second half and used an immediate 15-2 run to open a 52-38 advantage. Young had a pair of three-pointers in the run.
The Patriots gradually built an 18-point margin (81-63) following a free throw by Dixon with 5:37 left. The Lady Braves answered with an 11-2 run that trimmed the lead to 83-74 after Jackson scored on a layup with 1:42 remaining. Young then drained two free throws to up the margin to double digits and seal the win.
Francis Marion is off this weekend, but will return to action on Monday when the Patriots host Lander University at 5:30 p.m. UNCP plays host to North Georgia College & State University on Saturday at 2 p.m.
2-13-08 5:30 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
#25 FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 85, UNC PEMBROKE 75
UNC PEMBROKE (7-15, 2-13 PBC)
Ray,Natalie 8-13 4-5 20; Jackson,Chevoya 6-12 4-6 17; Johnson,Lavantay 5-8
4-6 14; Willis,Victoria 3-6 5-8 12; Kemp,JaToya 3-4 1-1 7; Faison,Talena 1-6
1-3 3; Hobbs,Kristen 1-3 0-0 2; Locklear,Porcha 0-0 0-0 0; Hunt,Illya 0-2
0-0 0; Ramsey,Ivy 0-0 0-0 0; Davis,DeNeer 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 27-56 19-29 75.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (#25 18-4, 11-4)
Young, Brittany 8-15 2-2 21; Dixon, Yasmean 4-6 6-8 14; Singletary,Creshenda
4-8 2-2 10; Dyer, Jennifer 4-6 0-0 10; Allen, Ebony 3-6 2-4 9; Ransom,
Kevina 3-9 1-4 8; Singleton-Bates, Sha 3-9 1-1 8; Marsh, Kirby 0-0 3-6 3;
Morgan, Shaquana 1-2 0-2 2; Ruff, Evelyn 0-1 0-0 0; Mack, Shavone 0-0 0-0 0;
Downer, Shonelle 0-1 0-0 0; Grayson, Rita 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 30-66 17-29 85.
Halftime: Francis Marion 37 UNC Pembroke 36.
3-point goals-UNC Pembroke 2-9 (Willis,Victoria 1-2; Jackson,Chevoya 1-4;
Faison,Talena 0-1; Hobbs,Kristen 0-1; Hunt,Illya 0-1), Francis Marion
University 8-19 (Young, Brittany 3-5; Dyer, Jennifer 2-2; Allen, Ebony 1-1;
Ransom, Kevina 1-4; Singleton-Bates, Sha 1-1; Grayson, Rita 0-3; Morgan,
Shaquana 0-1; Singletary,Creshenda 0-2). Fouled out--UNC Pembroke-None,
Francis Marion University-None. Rebounds-UNC Pembroke 44 (Ray,Natalie 12),
Francis Marion University 30 (Singleton-Bates, Sha 5). Assists-UNC Pembroke
17 (Willis,Victoria 4), Francis Marion University 19 (Ransom, Kevina 8).
Total fouls-UNC Pembroke 23, Francis Marion University 26. A-575
Men's Sports
