FLORENCE, SC – Senior forward Dee Gray came off the bench to register a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds but it was not enough to carry Francis Marion University to a key Peach Belt Conference win as the Patriots dropped a 73-68 decision to USC Aiken on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 25).

The loss drops Francis Marion (10-6, 5-5) out of first place in the PBC's East Division standings and into a third-place tie with Flagler College.  The Patriots will play at UNC Pembroke on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.  Following a road contest at Flagler on next Saturday, FMU will return home to face UNCP on Feb. 6.

Gray was a perfect 9-of-9 at the foul line en route to her team-high scoring output.  Senior center Kim Roach scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while junior guard Briana Robinson added 11 points and five assists.

Freshman Amaura Brandt led USCA (5-13, 3-6) with a career-high 20 points as she nailed 6-of-12 three-point attempts.  Junior guard Courtney Mealing added 12 points and six assists, while junior guard Mackenzie Reese posted her own double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.  Forward Mariah Durian also scored 11 points.

The Lady Pacers knocked down 11-of-31 three-point attempts as a team and were a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line.

USCA open the game with an 8-0 run and never trailed in the first half.  FMU missed 10 of its first 11 shots from the field.  The margin would reach nine on three occasions before the Lady Pacers settled for a 39-34 advantage at intermission.

A three-pointer by FMU junior Cy'erra Mills to open the second stanza quickly cut the deficit to 39-37, but USCA would gradually pull away to a 10-point lead at 51-41.  FMU responded with a 12-0 run, that included six free throws by Gray, to take its first lead at 53-51 with 8:08 left.  Francis Marion would lead by as many as four points on two occasions and held a 63-61 advantage after a top-of-the-key three-pointer by senior Erin Pinkett with 3:14 remaining.

Durian quickly answered with a three-pointer at the other end and the Lady Pacers would close the game on a 12-5 spurt.  A free throw by FMU sophomore forward Alaysia Watts with 17 ticks left did trim the margin to one possession at 69-66, but Reese drained two charity tosses to seal the victory.

FMU shot only 33.8 percent from the floor, including 4-of-19 from beyond the arc, and was 18-of-22 at the foul line.

1-25-14 1:40 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
USC AIKEN 73, FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY 68
USC AIKEN (5-13 , 3-6 PBC)
Amaura Brandt 7-13 0-0 20; Courtney Mealing 5-9 2-2 12; Mackenzie Reese 3-6
4-4 11; Mariah Durian 3-12 2-2 11; Porsha Martin 4-10 0-0 8; Kate Duff 2-4
0-0 5; Kassy Johannsen 2-4 0-0 4; Tiffany Addison 0-0 2-2 2; Carly Gilreath
0-3 0-0 0; Jasmine Coach 0-0 0-0 0; Emily O'Rourke 0-0 0-0 0; Alexis Ware
0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-61 10-10 73.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY (10-6 , 5-5 PBC)
Dee Gray 5-15 9-9 19; Kim Roach 5-6 2-3 12; Briana Robinson 4-7 2-2 11;
Cy'erra Mills 3-7 0-0 8; Alaysia Watts 1-5 5-6 7; Camille Dash 3-11 0-0 6;
Erin Pinkett 1-6 0-0 3; Alexia Bell 1-4 0-0 2; Lauren Woods 0-1 0-0 0;
Chelsea Dukes 0-6 0-2 0. Totals 23-68 18-22 68.
Halftime: USC Aiken 39 Francis Marion 34
3-point goals--USC Aiken 11-31 (Amaura Brandt 6-12; Mariah Durian 3-10; Kate
Duff 1-3; Mackenzie Reese 1-3; Carly Gilreath 0-1; Porsha Martin 0-1;
Courtney Mealing 0-1), Francis Marion University 4-19 (Cy'erra Mills 2-5;
Briana Robinson 1-2; Erin Pinkett 1-6; Camille Dash 0-3; Chelsea Dukes 0-3).
Fouled out--USC Aiken-None, Francis Marion University-None. Rebounds--USC
Aiken 39 (Mackenzie Reese 10), Francis Marion University 41 (Dee Gray 12).
Assists--USC Aiken 20 (Courtney Mealing 6), Francis Marion University 16
(Briana Robinson 5). Total fouls--USC Aiken 18, Francis Marion University
15. Technical fouls--None. A-892