Box Score TIGERVILLE, SC – A 12-1 run that wrapped around halftime enabled Erskine College to claim a 75-59 win over Francis Marion University and spoil the coaching debut of FMU's Jay Sparks, Friday night (Nov. 14) in the season-opening Peach Belt Conference-Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball Challenge.
The Patriots (0-1) will face North Greenville University (0-1) on Saturday at 5 p.m. on the second day of the challenge. Sparks, the long-time head coach at Columbus State University (367 wins), was returning to the sidelines after a five-year absence that saw him move into athletic administration.
North Greenville fell to the University of North Georgia 79-71 in Friday's first contest.
A pair of freshman paced the Patriots with double-doubles: 5-9 forward Stephanie Brown tallied 15 points and 14 rebounds and 5-8 guard Briana Burgins registered 12 points and 17 rebounds. Thirteen of Brown's 14 rebounds came off the offensive glass and the Philadelphia native connected on 6-of-13 shots from the floor.
However, the rest of the young Patriot squad suffered from cold shooting as FMU connected on only 21 of 99 field goal attempts. Francis Marion was 2-of-29 from behind the three-point arc and 15-of-27 at the free throw stripe. FMU did outrebound Erskine 64-50 and forced the Flying Fleet into 34 turnovers which were converted into 29 points.
Ashley Espinosa led four Erskine (1-0) players in double figures with 21 points.
FMU fell behind 18-6 as the Patriots missed 19 of their opening 22 shots. Francis Marion rallied to knot the score at 28-28 after a jump shot in the lane by Brown with 4:26 left before halftime. The Flying Fleet led only 34-32, but Erskine scored the half's final five points to lead 39-32 at intermission.
The Erskine spurt continued as the teams returned to the floor. The Flying Fleet opened the second stanza with a 7-1 run to expand their lead to 46-33.
Francis Marion closed the deficit to eight points on several occasions – the final time at 58-50 after two free throws by Brown with 8:49 left – but Erskine ran off a game-deciding 15-2 spurt that left the score at 73-52.
Freshmen accounted for 45 of FMU's point total.
11-14-14 7:00 PM at Hayes Gymnasium (Tigerivlle, S.C.)
ERSKINE COLLEGE 75, FRANCIS MARION 59
FRANCIS MARION (0-1)
Stephanie Brown 6-13 3-6 15; Briana Burgins 5-14 2-4 12; Camille Dash 3-13
3-4 9; Emily Green 3-12 0-1 8; Natalie Bruce 2-7 2-4 6; Mariah Johnson 1-5
0-0 2; Danielle Pray 0-6 2-2 2; Khayani Chandler 0-8 2-4 2; Cy'erra Mills
1-10 0-0 2; Alaysia Watts 0-5 1-2 1; Courtney Wood 0-2 0-0 0; De'Ana Turner
0-0 0-0 0; Savanna Summers 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 21-99 15-27 59.
ERSKINE COLLEGE (1-0)
Ashley Espinosa 8-12 5-7 21; Kristin Giles 5-10 2-2 15; Tara Potter 5-8 2-3
12; Raygon Hendrix 2-10 6-7 12; Andrienne Bannerman 3-5 1-2 7; Megan Marrah
2-3 1-2 5; Haleigh Spaulding 0-1 3-4 3; Zuri Green 0-0 0-0 0; Dareisha
Sowell 0-0 0-0 0; Marnasha Eugene 0-1 0-0 0; Tametra Willis 0-0 0-0 0;
Jordan Whitesides 0-0 0-0 0; Ashley Mull 0-1 0-0 0; Tyndell Mendenhall 0-1
0-0 0. Totals 25-52 20-27 75.
Halftime: Erskine 39 Francis Marion 32
3-point goals--Francis Marion 2-29 (Emily Green 2-5; Briana Burgins 0-1;
Camille Dash 0-3; Natalie Bruce 0-2; Mariah Johnson 0-3; Danielle Pray 0-1;
Khayani Chandler 0-4; Cy'erra Mills 0-6; Alaysia Watts 0-3; Savanna Summers
0-1), Erskine College 5-16 (Kristin Giles 3-4; Raygon Hendrix 2-6; Andrienne
Bannerman 0-2; Haleigh Spaulding 0-1; Ashley Mull 0-1; Ashley Espinosa 0-2).
Fouled out--Francis Marion-Emily Green, Erskine College-None.
Rebounds--Francis Marion 64 (Briana Burgins 17), Erskine College 50
(Andrienne Bannerman 14). Assists--Francis Marion 4 (Camille Dash 1; Cy'erra
Mills 1; Danielle Pray 1; Natalie Bruce 1), Erskine College 14 (Raygon
Hendrix 5). Total fouls--Francis Marion 24, Erskine College 23. Technical
fouls--None. A-100
