FLORENCE, SC – Junior forward Chelsea Dukes scored a season-high 16 points, including a pair of free throws with 30 seconds left, and Francis Marion University survived a last-second layup attempt to edge the University of Montevallo 67-65, Saturday afternoon (Jan. 18) in Peach Belt Conference women's basketball action.  

The first-place Patriots improve to 10-4 overall and 5-3 in the PBC.  FMU will play host to three-time defending conference champion Clayton State University on Monday night at 5:30 p.m.

Dukes, in her first season as a Patriot, was 5-of-9 from the floor, including a pair of three-pointers.  Senior forwards Kim Roach and Dee Gray added 14 and 12 points respectively.

Junior 5-10 forward Taylor Beverly, the conference's leading scorer and rebounder, tallied 28 points and nine rebounds to lead Montevallo (5-10, 2-6).  Guard Jacquelyn Thompson added 11 points, including a trio of three-pointers.

Francis Marion, in its 41st season of playing women's basketball, runs its all-time record to 800-398, a .668 winning percentage.  The Patriots currently rank eighth among all NCAA Division II schools in total victories.  The program's first win was a 53-44 conquest of Sand Hills Community College on Jan. 4, 1974.

FMU trailed 63-62 entering the game's final minute. Gray scored on a baseline jumper with 38 ticks left to put FMU ahead 64-63.  Dukes' two free throws extended the margin to 66-63 with 30 seconds remaining, but Taylor converted a layup with 18 ticks on the clock to pull the Falcons to within 66-65.

On the ensuing Francis Marion possession, Montevallo forced a turnover and took possession with seven seconds left.  On the inbounds play, the Falcons found Beverly streaking down the lane, but her layup was too strong and rolled off the left side of the rim where it was rebounded by FMU's Cy'erra Mills.  Mills sealed the win with a free throw with one second remaining.

Francis Marion struggled early as the Patriots missed seven of their first eight shots and fell behind 14-4 after seven minutes of play.  Back-to-back three-pointers by Dukes and Lauren Woods ignited an 11-3 FMU run that trimmed the deficit to 17-15.  A fast-break bucket by Roach gave Francis Marion its first lead at 26-25, just 3:21 before halftime.

A fast-break layup by Woods completed a 10-0 FMU spurt to close the first stanza as the Patriots carried a 31-25 advantage into the locker room.

FMU led by as many as eight points on four occasions in the second half, but were unable to shake the Falcons.  An 8-2 run by Montevallo cut the lead to 53-51 following a free throw by Caise Carrington with 6:30 left in the contest.  Baskets by Montevallo's Jasmine Thomas and Beverly snapped a 59-59 deadlock and gave the Falcons a 63-59 lead.

A three-point play by junior forward Alexia Bell brought FMU to within a single point at 63-62 and set the stage for Gray's bucket that would put the Patriots ahead to stay.

Francis Marion shot an identical 12-of-31 from the floor in each half.  For the game the Patriots were 15-of-19 from the foul line and committed only 13 turnovers.  Montevallo shot 46.6 percent for the game, including a blistering 60 percent over the final 20 minutes, but the Falcons were only 8-of-13 at the charity stripe.

1-18-14 1:30 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 67, UNIV. OF MONTEVALLO 65
UNIV. OF MONTEVALLO (5-10, 2-6 PBC)
Beverly, Taylor 13-24 2-2 28; Thompson, Jacquelyn 4-8 0-0 11; Caise,
Carrington 2-2 4-6 8; Bonner, Shay 4-12 0-0 8; Foreman, Kaylin 3-5 1-2 7;
Colson, Katie 1-2 1-3 3; Thomas, Jasmine 0-2 0-0 0; Mouyal, Ellie 0-1 0-0 0;
Singleton, Bre'ana 0-1 0-0 0; Green, Jerrisa 0-1 0-0 0; Williams, Shelby 0-0
0-0 0. Totals 27-58 8-13 65.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (10-4, 5-3 PBC)
Chelsea Dukes 5-9 4-6 16; Kim Roach 6-17 2-2 14; Dee Gray 5-8 2-2 12; Lauren
Woods 3-5 2-2 9; Alexia Bell 2-4 4-5 8; Erin Pinkett 1-4 0-0 3; Cy'erra
Mills 1-4 1-2 3; Camille Dash 1-7 0-0 2; Alaysia Watts 0-4 0-0 0; Briana
Robinson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-62 15-19 67.
Halftime: Francis Marion 31 Montevallo 25
3-point goals--Univ. of Montevallo 3-6 (Thompson, Jacquelyn 3-6), Francis
Marion University 4-12 (Chelsea Dukes 2-4; Lauren Woods 1-1; Erin Pinkett
1-4; Cy'erra Mills 0-2; Dee Gray 0-1). Fouled out--Univ. of
Montevallo-Bonner, Shay, Francis Marion University-None. Rebounds--Univ. of
Montevallo 36 (Beverly, Taylor 9), Francis Marion University 38 (Camille
Dash 9). Assists--Univ. of Montevallo 19 (Caise, Carrington 8), Francis
Marion University 22 (Camille Dash 5). Total fouls--Univ. of Montevallo 19,
Francis Marion University 18. Technical fouls--None. A-742