AMERICUS, GA – Junior guard Briana Robinson made four free throws and grabbed a key rebound all in the final 20 seconds to help Francis Marion University claim an 80-75 road win over Georgia Southwestern State University, Sunday afternoon (Jan. 12) in Peach Belt Conference women's basketball action.

Although the Patriots never trailed in the game, Francis Marion (9-3, 4-2) was never able to fully shake the pesky Hurricanes (6-6, 1-4). FMU will conclude its three-game road swing on Thursday night with a 5:30 p.m. contest at Armstrong Atlantic State University. The next home game for the Patriots will be Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against the University of Montevallo.

Junior point guard Cy'erra Mills led Francis Marion with a career-high 18 points as she hit on 4-of-5 three-point attempts.  Junior forward Alexia Bell also set a new career high with 17 points, while Robinson scored 16 points and sophomore guard Camille Dash 14.

Shanedra Lockett led Georgia Southwestern with a career-high 26 points, while Shatoria Hudson pumped in a career-high 21.

Mills scored the game's opening eight points on a pair of three-pointers and a layup.  The Patriot advantage reached 16-6 as FMU connected on six of its first 11 field goal attempts.  GSW rallied to within 16-14 and eventually tied the game at 19-19 with 11:29 left before halftime.

Bell scored the next two buckets to put Francis Marion up 23-19 and ignite a 9-2 run.  The Patriots led 37-29 at intermission as Robinson closed the half with a steal and layup.

The Patriot advantage swelled to 43-31 after a three-pointer by Mills with 17:45 remaining. The Hurricanes closed to within a point at 48-47 with a 16-5 spurt.

Time and time again FMU held off GSW attempts to tie or take the lead.  An 11-4 Francis Marion run resulted in a 73-64 lead with just under three minutes left.  However, GSW rallied to within one point, 76-75, on a pair of free throws by Lockett with 25.8 seconds left.

The two squads traded turnovers on the next two possessions before Robinson drained two free throws with 17.2 ticks remaining to push the FMU margin to 78-75.  GSW's Danyelle Jones missed a three-pointer from the left side and Robinson grabbed the rebound and was followed with less than two seconds left. Her resulting two charity tosses sealed the win.

Francis  Marion shot 50 percent from the field, including 6-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc, and was 20-of-30 at the stripe.  The Hurricanes were 46.3 percent shooters, but only 4-of-16 from long range, and were 21-of-31 at the foul line.

FMU has beaten GSW 11 times in 12 all-time meetings.

1-12-14 1:30 PM at Americus, Ga.
FRANCIS MARION 80, GEORGIA SOUTHWESTERN 75
FRANCIS MARION (9-3, 4-2 PBC)
Cy'erra Mills 5-8 4-7 18; Briana Robinson 5-10 6-8 16; Camille Dash 6-9 4-4
16; Alexia Bell 6-9 3-5 15; Kim Roach 1-4 2-4 4; Dee Gray 1-5 1-2 3; Erin
Pinkett 1-2 0-0 3; Chelsea Dukes 1-3 0-0 3; Alaysia Watts 1-2 0-0 2; Lauren
Woods 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 27-54 20-30 80.
GEORGIA SOUTHWESTERN (6-6, 1-4 PBC)
Shanedra Lockett 9-13 8-9 26; Shatoria Hudson 7-11 6-9 21; Jasmine McSwain
4-12 2-3 11; Danisha Green 2-4 3-4 7; S. Barrino-Kennedy 1-4 0-0 3; Danyelle
Jones 1-5 0-0 3; Tiara Thompson 1-3 0-0 2; Shaniece Sheffield 0-2 2-6 2;
Tanyetta Hill 0-0 0-0 0; Ottishia Burden 0-0 0-0 0; Kiana Griffin 0-0 0-0 0.
Totals 25-54 21-31 75.
Halftime: Francis Marion 37 Georgia Southwestern 29
3-point goals--Francis Marion 6-8 (Cy'erra Mills 4-5; Erin Pinkett 1-1;
Chelsea Dukes 1-2), Georgia Southwestern 4-16 (Danyelle Jones 1-3; S.
Barrino-Kennedy 1-2; Shatoria Hudson 1-2; Jasmine McSwain 1-3; Shaniece
Sheffield 0-2; Tiara Thompson 0-2; Danisha Green 0-1; Shanedra Lockett 0-1).
Fouled out--Francis Marion-Kim Roach, Georgia Southwestern-Jasmine McSwain.
Rebounds--Francis Marion 37 (Dee Gray 9), Georgia Southwestern 31 (Danisha
Green 7). Assists--Francis Marion 13 (Camille Dash 4; Briana Robinson 4),
Georgia Southwestern 15 (Danisha Green 6). Total fouls--Francis Marion 24,
Georgia Southwestern 26. Technical fouls--None. A-232