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FLORENCE, SC – Freshman guard Enisha Donley scored 17 points and Georgia College took advantage of a slow start by Francis Marion University to claim a 58-50 victory, Friday night (Jan. 20) in Peach Belt Conference women's basketball action.

The loss was FMU's fourth in a row at home and drops the Patriots to 6-9 overall and 2-7 in the PBC.  Francis Marion returns to action on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. with a non-conference tilt against the College of Coastal Georgia.  At halftime of that game, FMU graduate and Hall of Fame basketball player Pearl Moore will be honored with a resolution from the South Carolina General Assembly.

Sophomore guard Brittany Christian led FMU with a career-high tying 17 points as she connected on five three-pointers. Two Patriots came off the bench to tally eight points: junior guard Kristen Dickerson and sophomore guard Emilee Dunton.

Following Donley for Georgia College (4-12, 2-5) was forward Shanteona Keys with 13 points, six assists, and six rebounds and reserve forward Krysta Lewis with 11 points.

Christian opened the scoring with a three-pointer on the Patriots' third possession.  However, FMU would not score again until freshman Chelsey Johnson connected on a baseline jumper some six minutes later. Altogether, the Bobcats managed a 15-2 run after Christian's bucket to take a 15-5 lead.  The Patriots misfired on 16 of their first 18 field goal attempts.

Two free throws by senior Simone Trice brought Francis Marion to within 24-18 with 3:58 left before halftime, but the Bobcats countered with eight straight points and eventually led 32-20 at intermission.

The margin would grow to 16 points on two occasions in the second stanza, the final time at 38-22 on a layup by Abby Slocumb with 16:11 left.  FMU gradually pulled to within six points at 42-36 on a steal and layup by Johnson with 9:03 remaining.  Following a Georgia College turnover, Dunton drained a three-pointer from the right wing and the deficit was cut to 42-39 with 8:45 on the clock.

An 8-0 spurt by Georgia College extended the margin back to double digits at 50-39.  A three-pointer by Christian with 1:40 left trimmed the margin to six at 54-48, but that would be the Patriots' final field goal of the contest.

FMU shot only 25.4 percent for the game, while the Bobcats connected on 42.6 percent.  Both teams made seven three-pointers and 11 free throws and hauled down 40 rebounds.  However, Georgia College held a 22-10 edge in points-in-the-paint.

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1-20-12 5:30 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
GEORGIA COLLEGE 58, FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 50

GEORGIA COLLEGE (4-12 , 2-5 PBC)
Enisha Donley 7-11 3-5 17; Shanteona Keys 3-13 5-7 13; Krysta Lewis 4-6 0-0
11; Abby Slocumb 3-7 2-2 8; Mikalyn DeFoor 1-5 1-2 4; Lisa Mitchell 1-3 0-0
3; Belinda Schaafsma 1-2 0-0 2; Hollyn Phelps 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-47 11-16
58.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (6-9, 2-7 PBC)
Brittany Christian 5-15 2-2 17; Kristen Dickerson 3-7 2-2 8; Emilee Dunton
2-9 2-3 8; Chelsey Johnson 3-8 0-0 6; Carmella Thompson 0-7 3-4 3; Daphne
Walker 1-3 0-0 2; Simone Trice 0-3 2-4 2; Danielle Gibson 1-3 0-0 2; Hattie
Harris 1-5 0-0 2; T.T. Belcher 0-3 0-2 0. Totals 16-63 11-17 50.
Halftime: Georgia College 32  Francis Marion 20
3-point goals--Georgia College 7-16 (Krysta Lewis 3-3; Shanteona Keys 2-6;
Mikalyn DeFoor 1-4; Lisa Mitchell 1-3), Francis Marion University 7-26
(Brittany Christian 5-12; Emilee Dunton 2-7; Carmella Thompson 0-3; Simone
Trice 0-1; Hattie Harris 0-3). Fouled out--Georgia College-Belinda
Schaafsma, Francis Marion University-None. Rebounds--Georgia College 40
(Abby Slocumb 9), Francis Marion University 40 (T.T. Belcher 8).
Assists--Georgia College 14 (Shanteona Keys 6), Francis Marion University 9
(Carmella Thompson 4). Total fouls--Georgia College 15, Francis Marion
University 21. Technical fouls--None. A-579