GREENVILLE, SC -- Freshman Lee Stephens scored 14 points in her first collegiate game as Furman University pulled away in the second half to take a 57-33 season-opening win over Francis Marion University, Wednesday night (Nov. 15) at Timmons Arena.

Junior 6-4 center Shavone Mack paced Francis Marion with seven points and a game-high 13 rebounds. She also added four blocked shots, while Brittany Young scored six points and handed out five assists.

Stephens came off the Lady Paladin bench to hit 5-of-6 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. She also recorded a team-high four steals and added three assists. The Lady Paladins forced 24 Francis Marion turnovers, and compiled 16 steals. Furman scored 31 points off the bench, and held a 49-41 advantage in rebounding.

Chrissy Phelps also reached double-figures for Furman, as she netted 11 points.

Francis Marion jumped out to an early 5-2 lead on a Kirby Marsh three-pointer only two minutes into the game, but Francis Marion would miss its final 17 attempts from beyond the three-point arc.  Furman took the lead for good on Stephens’ first trey of the night. A 15-0 Furman run gave the Lady Paladins a 17-5 lead on a Lange jump shot with 11:36 remaining.  A three-point play by Young with seven seconds left in the first half helped Francis Marion cut the Furman lead to 25-19 at the intermission.

The teams battled back and forth over the first seven minutes of the second half, with Furman leading 29-23 with 13:40 left in the game.  The Lady Paladins then went on a 20-4 run over the next eight minutes, on the strength of three-pointers from Stephens and Holtfreter and 4-for-4 shooting from the free throw line from Holtfreter and Phelps.

The 33 points are the fewest ever scored by Francis Marion, breaking the old mark set in a 49-34 loss to Anderson College in 1974.  The Patriots connected on only 13 of 52 field goal attempts and six of 19 free throws.  The game was also FMU's first against an NCAA Division I opponent in 12 seasons.

The win was Furman's first-ever against the Patriots, although the two programs have not met since the 1983-84 season.   Francis Marion will play host to Mount Olive College, Saturday at 1 p.m. as part of the second-annual Zaxby's Tip-Off Clazzic.  Furman returns to action on Sunday as the Lady Paladins travel to face the University of Louisville at Freedom Hall at 7 p.m.