SUMTER, SC – Senior guard Tiara Gause led five players in double figures with 18 points and Francis Marion University forced 29 Morris College turnovers as the Patriots pulled away late to grab an 86-64 non-conference win, Tuesday night (Jan. 29) in women's basketball action.

Francis Marion evened its record at 8-8 with its 11th win in 12 all-time meetings with Morris.  FMU will return home to host Flagler College on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Gause connected on 7-of-14 field goal attempts and recorded five of her team's season-high 22 steals.  Junior Dee Gray scored 13 points, while senior Kristen Dickerson tallied 11 points and six rebounds and both Camille Dash and Briana Robinson added 10 apiece.

Guard Baylee Hawkins led Morris (2-17) with 13 points, while forward Jayla Moon registered 11 points and 15 rebounds.

Francis Marion scored the game's first five points and never trailed.  The lead quickly expanded to 13-2, and following a three-pointer by Erin Pinkett, the Patriots led 35-22.  FMU carried a 37-27 advantage into the locker room at halftime as Gause scored half of her 18 points in the opening stanza.

Morris cut the deficit to a single basket, 45-43, with 14:34 left in the game.  Dickerson and Robinson then contributed four points apiece to a 12-0 Patriot spurt that pushed the lead back to double digits at 57-43.

After Morris trimmed the margin back under 10, at 61-52 at the midway point of the half, FMU put together a game-deciding 17-2 spurt that produced a 24-point lead.

FMU shot 51.1 percent from the floor in the second half and finished the game at 45.5 percent shooting.  The Patriots were 4-of-7 on three-point attempts.

Morris shot 40.6 percent, including 2-of-15 from beyond the three-point arc, and the Hornets were 10-of-19 at the foul line.