AUGUSTA, GA – Junior forward T.T. Belcher capped a double-double effort with the game-winning lay-up with 19 seconds left in overtime to lift Francis Marion University to a 54-52 victory over Augusta State University, Saturday afternoon (Feb. 19) in Peach Belt Conference women's basketball action.

Francis Marion snaps a three-game losing skid and improves to 16-8 overall and 9-7 in the PBC.  With two home games remaining in the regular-season, FMU is assured of finishing third in the East Division.  The Patriots will play host to Flagler College on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Belcher scored 10 points and pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds to register her second double-double of the year.  Sophomore guard Courtney Mealing, a native of near-by North Augusta, S.C., poured in a team-high 15 points as the Patriots played without the services of leading scorer Shannon Singleton-Bates (19.7 ppg) who is injured.

FMU senior point guard Robin Colbert added nine points, 10 rebounds, four steals, and three assists.

Guard Blaire Egardo led ASU (8-17, 2-15) with 13 points and seven rebounds.

Neither team shot well in the first half as the two squads were both under 30 percent from the field.  Four points was the widest margin in the opening stanza and the score was knotted at 21-21 at intermission.

Augusta State opened the second half with a 13-5 spurt to take a 34-26 advantage with 12:01 remaining. With 8:40 left, the Patriots still trailed by eight, 42-34.  Five points from Simone Trice helped fuel an 11-4 FMU run that cut the lead to 46-45 with 1:26 on the clock.

After the two teams traded in-side baskets, ASU's Morgan Goss made 1-of-2 free throws with 23 seconds remaining to give the Jaguars a 49-47 lead.  Another 1-of-2 effort at the foul line by Waneta Carlisle with eight ticks left extended the ASU lead to 50-47.  On the ensuing possession, Mealing took a pass from Monica Mann and drained a three-pointer from the right corner at the buzzer to tie the score and force overtime.  After being held to 30 points over the first 30 minutes of the contest, FMU scored 20 points over the final 10 minutes of regulation.

The extra session featured only two made baskets, both by FMU.  Mealing's jumper in the lane tied the score at 52-52 with 2:01 left and Belcher's lay-in won the game.  ASU was 0-for-4 from the floor in overtime.

Francis Marion owned a 51-39 advantage on the boards and led 15-4 in second-chance points.

2-19-11 1:30 p.m. at Augusta, Ga. (Christenberry Fieldhouse)
FRANCIS MARION 54, AUGUSTA STATE 52

FRANCIS MARION (16-8, 9-7 PBC)
Mealing, Courtney 6-17 1-2 15; Belcher, T.T. 5-11 0-2 10; Colbert, Robin 3-7
3-6 9; Trice, Simone 3-8 3-3 9; Christian, Brittany 2-10 0-0 5;
Williams-Hayes, Jasm 1-6 0-1 2; Jones, Hannah 1-1 0-2 2; Dickerson, Kristen
1-2 0-0 2; Bothof, Kendra 0-0 0-0 0; Mann, Monica 0-7 0-0 0; Downs, Danelle
0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-70 7-16 54.
AUGUSTA STATE (8-17, 2-15 PBC)
Egardo, Blaire 5-15 0-0 13; McCants, Brooke 5-7 1-2 11; Goss, Morgan 1-4 6-8
8; Carlisle, Waneta 1-7 5-7 7; Woods, Jarquella 3-5 0-0 6; Menzies, Eryka
2-4 0-2 5; Gwynn, Asha 1-1 0-0 2; Weathers, Jac' 0-3 0-0 0; Ashby, Jemimah
0-6 0-0 0. Totals 18-52 12-19 52.
Halftime: 21-21  Regulation 50-50.
3-point goals--Francis Marion 3-15 (Mealing, Courtney 2-8; Christian,
Brittany 1-6; Mann, Monica 0-1), Augusta State 4-14 (Egardo, Blaire 3-6;
Menzies, Eryka 1-2; Carlisle, Waneta 0-1; Woods, Jarquella 0-1; Weathers,
Jac' 0-3; McCants, Brooke 0-1). Fouled out--Francis Marion-None, Augusta
State-None. Rebounds--Francis Marion 51 (Belcher, T.T. 18), Augusta State 39
(Carlisle, Waneta 12). Assists--Francis Marion 11 (Mann, Monica 5), Augusta
State 8 (Menzies, Eryka 2; Goss, Morgan 2; Ashby, Jemimah 2). Total
fouls--Francis Marion 15, Augusta State 13. Technical fouls--None. A-1279

         T.T. Belcher