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FLORENCE, SC – Senior center T.T. Belcher scored all 10 of her points in the second half and Francis Marion University held Saint Augustine's College without a field goal over the final 4:30 as the Patriots claimed a 60-54 non-conference win, Friday afternoon (Dec. 30) in women's basketball action.

By virtue of their third straight win, the Patriots climb above .500 for the season at 5-4, while the Lady Falcons drop their fourth consecutive road contest and are now 5-5.

FMU will return to action on Wednesday (Jan. 4) with a Peach Belt Conference home game against 16th-ranked USC Aiken.  Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.

Senior 6-0 forward Danielle Gibson and junior point guard Carmella Thompson led FMU with 11 points apiece, while Belcher added her 10.  It was a career-high point total for Gibson, who played her first three seasons at Charleston Southern University.  Thompson also handed out five assists and hauled down a team-high 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season and second in as many games.

Senior 6-1 center Keyona Bryant paced Saint Augustine's with 20 points and 13 rebounds.  She was 10-for-11 at the free throw line.  Junior guard Autumn Smith-Faulkner chipped in 12 points.

Francis Marion held the Lady Falcons to 26.2 percent shooting, including a paltry 8-of-38 (21.1%) over the final 20 minutes.

A fairly close opening stanza featured two ties and four lead changes.  The Patriots did manage to build a seven-point margin at 26-19 following a free throw by Thompson with 4:03 on the clock.  The Lady Falcons closed the margin to 31-28 at intermission.

A free throw by Belcher with 15:54 remaining again stretched the FMU advantage to seven at 36-29.  Saint Augustine's responded with a 20-12 run to take its only lead of the second half at 49-48 with 7:38 left.  A pair of free throws by Thompson started an 8-0 spurt by the Patriots – with all eight points coming at the charity stripe – that pushed FMU back on top 56-49 with 4:45 left.

Keianna Evans' three-point play drew the Lady Falcons to within 56-52 with 4:31 remaining, but that would be Saint Augustine's final bucket of the contest.  The Falcons missed their final eight shots from the field.

Two free throws by Belcher with 1:53 left – the only points scored by either team in the final three minutes – gave the Patriots a 60-54 lead.

Francis Marion shot 34.6 percent for the game and was 21-of-30 at the foul line.  FMU also held a 51-45 rebounding advantage.

12-30-11 4 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 60, SAINT AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE 54

SAINT AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE (5-5)
BRYANT,Keyona 5-15 10-11 20; SMITH-FAULKNER,Autum 5-11 0-2 12;
WILLIAMS,Jolisa 3-8 0-0 6; EVANS,Keianna 1-11 3-3 5; SPENCER,Ebony 1-7 2-4
4; BENSON,Umeka 1-3 1-2 3; TORAIN,Brittany 1-6 1-2 3; MITCHELL,Morgan 0-0
1-2 1; SHABAZZ,Jasmine 0-0 0-0 0; DAVIS,Victoria 0-0 0-0 0; ARRINGTON,Briana
0-2 0-0 0; HUBBARD,Scharlawn 0-2 0-2 0. Totals 17-65 18-28 54.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (5-4)
Danielle Gibson 4-7 3-4 11; Carmella Thompson 3-4 5-8 11; T.T. Belcher 3-5
4-6 10; Simone Trice 2-4 4-5 8; Brittany Christian 1-9 4-4 7; Emilee Dunton
2-5 0-0 6; Chelsey Johnson 2-9 0-0 4; Daphne Walker 1-6 0-1 2; Hattie Harris
0-2 1-2 1; Kristen Dickerson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-52 21-30 60.
Halftime: Francis Marion 31 Saint Augustine's 28
3-point goals--Saint Augustine's College 2-12 (SMITH-FAULKNER,Autum 2-6;
SPENCER,Ebony 0-1; TORAIN,Brittany 0-2; HUBBARD,Scharlawn 0-1; BRYANT,Keyona
0-2), Francis Marion University 3-12 (Emilee Dunton 2-5; Brittany Christian
1-6; Carmella Thompson 0-1). Fouled out--Saint Augustine's College-None,
Francis Marion University-None. Rebounds--Saint Augustine's College 45
(BRYANT,Keyona 13), Francis Marion University 51 (Carmella Thompson 11).
Assists--Saint Augustine's College 10 (SMITH-FAULKNER,Autum 3), Francis
Marion University 13 (Carmella Thompson 5). Total fouls--Saint Augustine's
College 23, Francis Marion 20. Technical fouls--None. A-167