FLORENCE, SC – Francis Marion University rallied from a 22-point second-half deficit and junior forward Dee Gray scored the final four points of overtime to lead the Patriots to an 81-76 victory over previously unbeaten Augusta State University, Wednesday evening (Jan. 2) in Peach Belt Conference women's basketball action.

Francis Marion improves to 6-3 overall and 1-2 in the PBC after returning from a 16-day layoff for the holidays.  FMU will take to the road this weekend to play Armstrong Atlantic State University on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Savannah, Ga.  The Patriots' next home contest will be Thursday, Jan. 10, at 5:30 p.m. against Columbus State University.

Senior guard Tiara Gause led Francis Marion with a season-high equaling 18 points, 12 of which came after halftime.  Gray registered her first career double-double with career-highs of 16 points and 15 rebounds.  Twelve of her points also came after intermission.  Senior forward Jasmine Williams-Hayes tallied 14 points and eight rebounds, both career highs, with 10 of her markers coming after the half.  Senior Kristen Dickerson chipped in 11 points off the bench, while freshman guard Camille Dash scored a career-high 10 points.

Junior forward Jemimah Ashby led the Jaguars (8-1, 2-1) with 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting.  She also connected on 6-of-7 free throws, including a pair with 1.1 seconds left in regulation to knot the score at 73-73 and force overtime.

Reserve 6-1 center Taylor Ayers added 11 points and 12 rebounds for ASU.

After leading 34-26 at halftime, Augusta State scored the first 14 points of the second stanza to open a 22-point margin at 48-26 with 16:53 remaining.  Shorty thereafter the deficit was still 22 (51-29), but a three-pointer by Erin Pinkett ignited a 26-4 run that tied the score at 55-55, after Gray fed Gause for a fast-break layup with 8:23 left.

With just under a minute remaining the score was tied at 69-69.  Two free throws by Williams-Hayes and one free throw by Briana Robinson gave the Patriots a 72-69 advantage.  ASU guard Brittany White narrowed the margin to 72-71 with two of her own charity tosses with 12.4 ticks remaining. 

Williams-Hayes was fouled with 10.7 seconds remaining and she made one of the two freebies to lengthen the lead to 73-71.  ASU's White missed a layup, but the Jaguars claimed the offensive rebound and called a time out with 2.6 ticks left.  The long in-bounds pass went to Ashby, who was fouled along the baseline with 1.1 seconds on the clock.  On the play, she was injured.  She shook off the malady to make both free throws to knot the game at 73-73, but she did not play in the extra session. 

FMU was unable to get off a shot in the final breaths of regulation and the game went to overtime, during which the Patriots never trailed.

A layup by Gause opened the overtime scoring, and 40 seconds later, Pinkett claimed a steal and layup to give FMU a 77-73 lead.  Three free throws by Ayers, covering two different possessions, trimmed the margin to 77-76 with 47.6 seconds left, but Gray converted an off-balance jumper in the lane with 0:26.9 on the clock, and following two missed free throws by the Jaguars, iced the win with a pair of free throws at 0:11.3.

Francis Marion forced 28 ASU turnovers and converted those miscues into 29 points.  FMU shot 39.2 percent from the floor, while ASU connected on 49.2 percent of its field goal attempts.  The Patriots held the Jaguars to only 1-of-8 shooting from beyond the three-point arc.

Francis Marion opened the game with a 10-4 run, but Augusta State answered with a 12-0 spurt of its own to claim a 16-10 advantage.  The Jaguars led by as many as 11 in the opening half, before retreating to the locker room with a 34-26 advantage.

1/2/13 5:30 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 81, AUGUSTA STATE UNIVERSITY 76  OT

AUGUSTA STATE UNIVERSITY (8-1, 2-1 PBC)
Jemimah Ashby 10-12 6-7 26; Taylor Ayers 4-11 3-6 11; Laci Schreiber 3-7 3-4
9; Tanch. Hollingsworth 3-9 3-3 9; Eryka Menzies 4-6 0-0 8; Brittany White
2-7 2-2 7; Becky Newhouse 1-2 0-0 2; Brooke McCants 1-1 0-0 2; Tiffany
Jaecks 1-4 0-2 2. Totals 29-59 17-24 76.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (6-3, 1-2 PBC)
Tiara Gause 9-16 0-1 18; Dee Gray 6-17 4-6 16; Jas. Williams-Hayes 4-11 6-7
14; Kristen Dickerson 4-7 2-2 11; Camille Dash 4-9 2-2 10; Erin Pinkett 3-9
0-0 8; Kim Roach 1-4 1-1 3; Briana Robinson 0-4 1-2 1; Jalyn McDowell 0-1
0-0 0; DeAsia Toney 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 31-79 16-21 81.
Halftime: Augusta State 34 Francis Marion 26
Regulation: 73-73

Three-point goals--Augusta State University 1-8 (Brittany White 1-2; Tanch.
Hollingsworth 0-5; Tiffany Jaecks 0-1), Francis Marion University 3-14 (Erin
Pinkett 2-7; Kristen Dickerson 1-1; Jas. Williams-Hayes 0-1; Camille Dash
0-2; Briana Robinson 0-1; Dee Gray 0-2). Fouled out--Augusta State
University-Tanch. Hollingsworth, Francis Marion University-None.
Rebounds--Augusta State University 47 (Becky Newhouse 13), Francis Marion
University 38 (Dee Gray 15). Assists--Augusta State University 19 (Brittany
White 6), Francis Marion University 18 (DeAsia Toney 7). Total
fouls--Augusta State University 25, Francis Marion University 18. Technical
fouls--None. A-387

Charges drawn: Dickerson, Williams-Hayes