SAVANNAH, GA. – Senior forward Audosha Kelley scored 14 points and sophomore center Kaneetha Gordon added 12 points as Armstrong Atlantic State University took a 64-47 Peach Belt Conference win over a short-handed Francis Marion University squad, Wednesday night (Jan. 4) in women's basketball action.
AASU improves to 7-4 overall and 2-2 in the PBC with its fifth straight win, while FMU (3-6, 1-2) drops its fourth consecutive contest. The Patriots were playing for the first time in 15 days.
Freshman guard Kirby Marsh led Francis Marion with a career-high 16 points, her second straight double-digit scoring game. She connected on six of 11 shots, including four of seven from beyond the three-point arc. Sophomore 6-4 center Shavone Mack tallied nine points and seven rebounds coming off the Patriot bench.
FMU was playing without the services of second-leading scorer Creshenda Singletary, who is no longer enrolled in school, and injured sophomore center Vanessa Goff.
With the Patriots holding a 9-8 advantage, Kelley started an 11-0 AASU run that gave the Lady Pirates a 19-9 lead. The margin would grow to 30-13 after Alicia Durham made a pair of free throws with 4:27 left in the half. AASU led 34-20 at intermission.
The Lady Pirates’ largest lead came at 53-33 following free throws by Peaches Howard with 5:58 remaining. FMU crept to within 56-44 after a steal and basket by Shaketa Preal with 2:46 left on the clock, but that was as close as the Patriots would get.
AASU held a 45-30 rebounding advantage.
Francis Marion will play host to PBC foe Georgia College & State University, Saturday at 2 p.m.
