FLORENCE, SC - Senior forward Precious Tucker scored 17 points and aided an 18-1 second-half run that led Francis Marion University to a convincing 91-61 victory over visiting Fayetteville State University, Wednesday evening (Nov. 18) in women's college basketball action.

Francis Marion improved to 2-0 this season and is 16-0 in non-conference contests under third-year head coach Heather Macy.  The Patriots will entertain local-rival Coker College on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.

Tucker shot 8-of-14 from the floor and hauled down a team-high nine rebounds in only 23 minutes of action off the Patriot bench before a partisan crowd of 1,385.  Junior Shannon Singleton-Bates added 14 points, while freshman guard Courtney Mealing recorded 10 points. 

FMU junior point guard Robin Colbert registered eight points, nine assists, and seven rebounds and with 11 steals came within one of the school's single-game record set by Kevina Ransom in 2008.

Three players, Tressa Aughburns, Tiffany Haywood, and L'Oreal Price, led FSU (0-1) with 11 points apiece.

The lead changed hands several times in the opening half.  Francis Marion used a 12-0 run to open a 34-22 lead with 5:05 left before halftime.  However, the Lady Broncos rallied to trim the margin to 42-39 as the first-half horn sounded.

Early in the second stanza, a pair of free throws by FSU's Danielle Russell tied the score at 47-47.  The Patriots gradually opened an eight-point margin at 61-53 with 11:47 left.  Tucker then contributed a pair of baskets to FMU's 18-1 spurt that expanded the lead to 79-54 with five minutes remaining.

Francis Marion shot 42.9 percent over the final 20 minutes while holding Fayetteville State to only 6-of-21 shooting in the second stanza.

The Patriots also forced 51 FSU turnovers that were converted into 56 points.  FMU has now forced 106 turnovers in its opening two games.

11-18-09 5:30 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 91, FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIV. 61
FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIV. (0-1)
AUGHBURNS,Tressa 5-10 0-1 11; HAYWOOD,Tiffany 3-5 5-6 11; PRICE,L'oreal 5-8
1-2 11; RUSSELL,Danielle 2-6 4-4 8; OWENS,Amanda 1-5 3-3 5; MIDDLETON,Deja
1-6 3-4 5; WATTS, Randi' 1-2 1-2 3; COLEMAN,Tierra 1-2 1-2 3;
HOKETT,LaPorshe 1-4 1-3 3; GILLEY,Erica 0-1 1-3 1; JORDAN,LaQuasha 0-2 0-0
0; WILLIAMS,Ki'ana 0-0 0-0 0; HUMPHRIES,Mercedes 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-52
20-30 61.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (2-0)
Tucker, Precious 8-14 1-1 17; Singleton-Bates, Sha 5-12 4-4 14; Mealing,
Courtney 4-9 0-0 10; Colbert, Robin 2-7 4-4 8; Trice, Simone 4-8 0-0 8;
Downs, Danelle 3-6 2-3 8; Fields, Eboni 3-10 0-0 7; Coleman, Dawn 2-7 2-4 6;
Mealing, Nicole 2-9 2-2 6; Mann, Monica 0-2 3-4 3; Franks, Shana 1-7 0-0 2;
Dickerson, Kristen 1-1 0-0 2; Imani, Ana 0-0 0-0 0; Wilson, Tiffany 0-1 0-0
0. Totals 35-93 18-22 91.
Halftime: Francis Marion 42 Fayetteville State Univ. 39
3-point goals--Fayetteville State Univ. 1-4 (AUGHBURNS,Tressa 1-1;
RUSSELL,Danielle 0-2; HOKETT,LaPorshe 0-1), Francis Marion University 3-18
(Mealing, Courtney 2-4; Fields, Eboni 1-5; Mealing, Nicole 0-3; Mann, Monica
0-2; Franks, Shana 0-4). Fouled out--Fayetteville State Univ.-None, Francis
Marion University-None. Rebounds--Fayetteville State Univ. 48
(MIDDLETON,Deja 10), Francis Marion University 48 (Tucker, Precious 9).
Assists--Fayetteville State Univ. 12 (RUSSELL,Danielle 7), Francis Marion
University 23 (Colbert, Robin 9). Total fouls--Fayetteville State Univ. 20,
Francis Marion University 24. Technical fouls--Fayetteville State
Univ.-None, Francis Marion University-None. A-1385