FLORENCE, S.C. – Senior center Danielle Edwards registered 23 points and nine rebounds and USC Upstate slowly pulled away in the second half to claim a 63-56 Peach Belt Conference road win over Francis Marion University, Wednesday evening (Jan. 24) in women’s basketball action.

USC Upstate improves to 10-8 overall and 5-2 in the PBC, while Francis Marion (5-13, 2-5) has its modest two-game winning streak stopped.

Junior swingplayer Renee Guilliams scored 16 points to lead FMU for the second consecutive game. Freshman forward Yasmean Dixon tallied career highs of 14 points and 12 rebounds, while junior point guard Brittany Young added 10 points and 10 assists.

Following Edwards, reserve forward Ebony Johnson recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while reserve guard Courtney Bradley added 11 points and five assists, including 6-of-6 free throws in the final 39 seconds to seal the victory.

USC Upstate, which never trailed in the contest, led by as many as nine points in the opening stanza before settling for a 29-25 halftime lead.

The margin again ballooned to nine (34-25) early in the second half, but FMU chipped away at the deficit and trailed only 47-44 following two Kirby Marsh free throws with 6:41 left.

However, an eight-minute stretch during which the Patriots missed 12 of 13 field goal attempts doomed the FMU cause. Francis Marion shot only 27.8 percent over the final 20 minutes.

FMU also failed to take better advantage of 29 USC Upstate turnovers. Both teams recorded 21 points off turnovers.

The Patriots entertain Augusta State University on Saturday at 2 p.m., while USC Upstate visits Georgia College & State University, also on Saturday at 2 p.m.