#17 Patriots rally past Tusculum 83-71
WINGATE, NC - Francis Marion University opened the second half with a 19-0 run to erase a three-point halftime deficit and the 17th-ranked Patriots went on to claim an 83-71 win over Tusculum College, Friday night (Dec. 18) in the OrthoCarolina Classic hosted by Wingate University.
FMU improves to 8-0, while the Pioneers drop to 6-2. The game featured two programs which both advanced to the NCAA Division II national tournament last season. Francis Marion will play the host Bulldogs (5-4) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Junior Shannon Singleton-Bates led Francis Marion with 17 points, while senior Shana Franks registered a season-high 16. Senior center Precious Tucker came off the bench to record a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds, while junior point guard Robin Colbert tallied 11 points and six assists.
Point guard Jasmine Gunn paced Tuculum with 20 points, but only on 7-of-20 shooting.
Although the Patriots led for most of the opening half, Tusculum rallied to take a 39-36 advantage at the break.
FMU opened the second stanza with its 19-0 run to lead 54-39 with 13:20 left in the game. Tucker keyed the run with seven points, while the Pioneers missed eight consecutive shots and committed 10 turnovers.
Tusculum trimmed the margin to eight points on two occasions, the final time at 79-71 following a jump shot by Gunn with 49 seconds remaining. However, Franks countered with a three-point on the ensuing possesion and the Patriots had their first road win after opening the season with a perfect 7-0 home stand.
FMU held Tusculum to 33.3 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes.
#17 FRANCIS MARION WOMEN 83, TUSCULUM 71 #17 FRANCIS MARION (8-0 overall) Singleton-Bates, Shannon 7-22 3-5 17; Franks, Shana 6-14 1-2 16; Tucker, Precious 5-8 2-6 12; Colbert, Robin 4-5 2-5 11; Mealing, Courtney 3-7 2-4 9; Mealing, Nicole 4-9 0-0 9; Trice, Simone 3-6 0-0 6; Coleman, Dawn 0-3 2-2 2; Fields, Eboni 0-6 1-2 1; Mann, Monica 0-2 0-0 0; Downs, Danelle 0-2 0-2 0. Totals 32-84 13-28 83. TUSCULUM (6-2 overall) Gunn, Jasmine 7-20 6-10 20; Parker, Jasmine 3-8 5-6 11; Shephard, Brenica 4-8 3-4 11; Ludgood, Shasidy 4-5 1-2 9; Spears, Kat 3-10 2-5 8; Baxter, Kendal 2-10 0-0 5; Hicks, Staci 1-3 2-4 4; Harvey, Gabrielle 0-0 3-4 3; Holton, Ellen 0-2 0-0 0; McGowen, Chelsea 0-1 0-0 0; Oliver, Brittni 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 24-67 22-37 71. Halftime: Tusculum 39 Francis Marion 36 3-point goals--Francis Marion 6-17 (Franks, Shana 3-6; Mealing, Courtney 1-2; Colbert, Robin 1-1; Mealing, Nicole 1-2; Fields, Eboni 0-5; Singleton-Bates, Shannon 0-1), Tusculum 1-13 (Baxter, Kendal 1-8; Parker, Jasmine 0-1; Ludgood, Shasidy 0-1; Holton, Ellen 0-1; Gunn, Jasmine 0-2). Fouled out--Francis Marion-None, Tusculum-None. Rebounds--Francis Marion 60 (Tucker, Precious 14), Tusculum 50 (Spears, Kat 15). Assists--Francis Marion 16 (Colbert, Robin 6), Tusculum 5 (Gunn, Jasmine 3). Total fouls--Francis Marion 28, Tusculum 22. Technical fouls--Francis Marion-None, Tusculum-None. A-104
