FLORENCE, SC - On a night when 18th-ranked Francis Marion University struggled at the free throw line, junior point guard Robin Colbert hit six-of-six at the foul line in the final 1:19 to carry the Patriots past Barton College 88-80, Monday night (Dec. 7) in non-conference women's basketball action.

Francis Marion ends its seven-game season-opening homestand with a perfect 7-0 mark, and the Patriots win their 20th consecutive game against non-conference opponents.

Junior Shannon Singleton-Bates led FMU with 17 points, while senior guard Eboni Fields scored 15, Colbert 14, and senior center Precious Tucker 13.  Tucker also grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.

Sophomore guard Jannetta Robinson led Barton (2-4) with 19 points and five assists, while junior Jamila Johnson had 16 points and six rebounds.  Robinson hit 9-of-12 field goal attempts.  Senior forward Destiny Hamlin tallied 12 points, nine rebounds, and five assists before fouling out, and reserve forward Ashlea Foster added 11 points and seven rebounds.  Reigning Conference Carolinas' Player of the Year Esty Flores scored only four points on 1-of-6 shooting before fouling out.

Two free throws by Colbert with 1:19 on the clock gave Francis Marion an 80-78 advantage.  Following a Lady Bulldog turnover that was stolen by Colbert, Tucker scored on a layup to give FMU an 82-78 advantage.  A basket by Shawnta Shelton with 42 ticks left pulled Barton to within 82-80, but Colbert scored on a short jump shot and four free throws in the final 27 seconds to seal the win.

Entering the final 1:19, Francis Marion had missed 14 of 26 attempts at the charity stripe.

Francis Marion led 45-42 at halftime after an opening stanza that featured 11 ties and 16 lead changes.

The Patriots maintained a short lead over the first eight minutes of the second half.  However the Lady Bulldogs took a 59-58 lead on a jumper by Robinson with 11:31 remaining.  A three-point play by Robinson with 7:16 left gave Barton a 69-64 lead.  FMU quickly answered with five straight points, all by Fields, to draw even at 69-69.  A free throw by Barton's Johnson forged the game's 16th and final deadlock at 78-78 setting the stages for Colbert's heroics.

Shooting percentages for both squads were fairly equal, but FMU hit 6-of-22 three-point attempts, while Barton was only 1-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Francis Marion will now take a break for exams before returning to action Dec. 18-19 at the OrthoCarolina Classic in Wingate, N.C.  Barton will play host to Fayetteville State University on Saturday at 2 p.m.

12-7-09 7 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
#18 FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 88, BARTON COLLEGE 80
BARTON COLLEGE (2-4)
Robinson, Jannetta 9-12 1-3 19; Johnson, Jamila 5-18 5-6 16; Hamlin, Destiny
5-12 2-5 12; Foster, Ashlea 5-7 1-2 11; Shelton, Shawnta 4-8 1-1 9;
Mitchell, Jolanda 2-5 3-4 7; Flores, Esty 1-6 2-2 4; Neal, Shante 1-2 0-0 2;
Jackson, Janae 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-70 15-23 80.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (#18   7-0)
Singleton-Bates, Sha 6-12 4-6 17; Fields, Eboni 6-9 1-1 15; Colbert, Robin
3-6 8-10 14; Tucker, Precious 6-11 1-3 13; Mealing, Nicole 4-9 0-1 9;
Franks, Shana 2-8 0-0 5; Mealing, Courtney 2-9 0-1 5; Mann, Monica 2-4 1-5
5; Trice, Simone 1-3 0-1 2; Downs, Danelle 0-1 2-2 2; Coleman, Dawn 0-2 1-2
1. Totals 32-74 18-32 88.
Halftime: Francis Marion 45 Barton College 42
3-point goals--Barton College 1-8 (Johnson, Jamila 1-2; Shelton, Shawnta
0-3; Mitchell, Jolanda 0-1; Flores, Esty 0-1; Robinson, Jannetta 0-1),
Francis Marion University 6-22 (Fields, Eboni 2-5; Franks, Shana 1-5;
Mealing, Nicole 1-4; Singleton-Bates, Sha 1-1; Mealing, Courtney 1-4;
Coleman, Dawn 0-1; Mann, Monica 0-2). Fouled out--Barton College-Flores,
Esty; Hamlin, Destiny; Jackson, Janae, Francis Marion University-None.
Rebounds--Barton College 43 (Hamlin, Destiny 9), Francis Marion University
49 (Tucker, Precious 13). Assists--Barton College 20 (Hamlin, Destiny 5;
Robinson, Jannetta 5), Francis Marion University 19 (Franks, Shana 5). Total
fouls--Barton College 29, Francis Marion University 22. Technical
fouls--None. A-203

        Robin Colbert