Francis Marion University freshman swing player Shannon Singleton-Bates, a native of South Norwalk, was named the most valuable player at the Lady Cobra Classic, hosted by Coker College last weekend (Dec. 14-15).

Singleton-Bates came off the bench to lead Francis Marion to a pair of victories, 101-41 over Converse College and 84-77 over the host school. She tallied 14 points, six rebounds, and four steals against Converse and 17 points, six rebounds, and three steals as the Patriots rallied to defeat Coker.

For the two contests, she connected on 13 of 25 field goals attempts (52%) and five of six free throws (83.3%).

She has helped lead FMU to a 6-1 start, which equals the squad’s win total of all of last season (6-22 record). The Patriots are under the guidance of first-year head coach Heather Macy.

For the season, Singleton-Bates is averaging 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in only 13.6 minutes of action per contest. Macy utilizes a system that has 11 team members averaging more than 10 minutes per game.

Singleton-Bates is a product of Norwalk High School, where she played for coach Rick Fuller. She was a two-time first-team All-State selection and a three-time All-Conference and All-Area pick, while scoring more than 1,300 career points.

After its Christmas break, FMU returns to action on Jan. 2 against Erskine College.

Francis Marion is a member of the NCAA Division II Peach Belt Conference, which has members in Georgia and North and South Carolina. FMU is a state-supported institution located in Florence, S.C., with an enrollment of nearly 4,000 students.