FLORENCE, SC - The senior trio of Jennifer Dyer, Kevina Ransom, and Creshenda Singletary all scored 14 points and 11th-ranked Francis Marion University outlasted a short-handed Augusta State University squad 78-65, Wednesday night (Feb. 18) in Peach Belt Conference women's basketball action.

Francis Marion (23-1, 16-1) captures its 14th straight win, maintains its two-game lead in the PBC standings, and equals the second-best start in the program's history.  The 1980-81 squad also opened 23-1, while the 1998-99 team won 26 of its first 27 contests.

Sophomore Shannon Singleton-Bates also reached double digits for the Patriots with 10, while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds.  In addition to her points, Ransom registered six assists and six steals, while Dyer had five of each.

Junior forward Porsha White led ASU (5-19, 3-14) with 13 points and seven rebounds, while forward Tracey Paschal and reserve guard Brittany Hudson each scored 12 points.  The Jaguars only dressed eight players for the game.

Although they never trailed, the Patriots were unable to shake the Jaguars.  FMU led by as many as 15 points (25-10) in the first half, and went to the locker room with a 39-27 advantage.

The Francis Marion lead would swell to 16 points on four occasions in the second half, before ASU rallied to within seven at 53-46 after two free throws by Stacey Lampkin with 12 minutes left.  FMU pushed the margin to 14 at 70-56 with 5:08 remaining and held on for the win.

FMU, which leads the nation in turnover margin, forced 42 ASU miscues and converted them into 39 points.  Despite being outrebounded 50-46, Francis Marion led 20-6 in second-chance points.  Both teams shot 37 percent from the floor, but Francis Marion attempted a season-high equaling 90 shots.

The Patriots can gain at least a share of the Peach Belt regular season crown if they win at Georgia College & State University on Saturday at 2 p.m.

02-18-09 5:30 pm at Florence, SC
#11 FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 78, AUGUSTA STATE 65

AUGUSTA STATE (5-19, 3-14)
White, Porsha 6-9 1-1 13; Paschal, Tracey 3-10 6-7 12; Hudson, Brittany 4-5
4-6 12; Davis, Eboni 3-8 2-2 11; Godwin, Jasmine 3-12 2-2 8; Lampkin, Stacey
2-7 3-4 7; Torain, Brittany 0-4 2-2 2; Johnson, Brooke 0-1 0-0 0; Gwynn,
Asha 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-57 20-24 65.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (#11  23-1 , 16-1)
Dyer, Jennifer 6-14 0-0 14; Singletary,Creshenda 7-20 0-1 14; Ransom, Kevina
7-11 0-0 14; Singleton-Bates, Sha 4-10 2-4 10; Franks, Shana 2-9 3-3 7;
Downs, Danelle 2-4 2-4 6; Fields, Eboni 2-10 0-0 6; Powell, Dominique 2-6
1-4 5; Colbert, Robin 1-6 0-0 2; Morgan, Shaquana 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-90
8-16 78.
Halftime: Francis Marion 39  Augusta State  27
3-point goals--Augusta State 3-9 (Davis, Eboni 3-6; Paschal, Tracey 0-1;
Godwin, Jasmine 0-2), Francis Marion University 4-18 (Dyer, Jennifer 2-7;
Fields, Eboni 2-7; Franks, Shana 0-4). Fouled out--Augusta State-White,
Porsha, Francis Marion University-None. Rebounds--Augusta State 50 (Lampkin,
Stacey 11), Francis Marion University 46 (Singleton-Bates, Sha 8).
Assists--Augusta State 15 (Torain, Brittany 4; Paschal, Tracey 4), Francis
Marion University 16 (Ransom, Kevina 6). Total fouls--Augusta State 18,
Francis Marion University 24. Technical fouls--Augusta State-None, Francis
Marion University-None. A-552