Box Score COLUMBUS, GA – Upset-minded Francis Marion University saw a four-point halftime lead dissipate amid a second-half field goal drought and unbeaten Columbus State University rallied for a 73-51 win, Saturday afternoon (Jan. 3) in Peach Belt Conference women's basketball action.
The loss spoiled the return of first-year FMU head coach Jay Sparks to the school where he began the women's program in 1989 and where he recorded 367 victories. Francis Marion drops to 3-8 overall and 1-2 in the PBC.
Francis Marion will play host to GRU Augusta on Monday evening at 5:30 p.m.
Junior Camille Dash led FMU with a season-high 15 points, all of which came in the opening half. Freshman Khayani Chandler scored seven points, while a trio of Patriots chipped in five points apiece.
Michelle Mitchell paced Columbus State (13-0, 4-0) with a season-high 29 points. The Cougars, who were just outside the Top 25 poll among others receiving votes in the latest Division II rankings, are off to their best start since Sparks guided the CSU to a 31-0 start in 2000-01.
Francis Marion hit its first two three-pointers of the game and raced to an early 10-4 advantage. The opening 20 minutes featured 13 lead changes. A 5-0 spurt by the Patriots in the final minute – a bucket by Chandler and a three-pointer by Dash – allowed FMU to claim a 37-33 lead at intermission.
However, the Patriots connected on only one of its first 20 field goal attempts of the second stanza – over a period of 16 minutes – allowing the Cougars to take control of the contest. FMU missed on a breakaway layup with the score knotted at 38-38 and CSU converted a transition layup at the other end to give the Cougars the lead for good.
The one FMU bucket during the dry spell was a layup by freshman Briana Burgins with 10:42 on the clock and it cut the deficit to 46-42. Columbus State responded with a 21-4 run that produced a 67-46 advantage.
For the game, FMU connected on 28.1 percent of its field goal attempts, including 7-of-20 three-point shots, and was 12-of-19 at the free throw line. CSU shot 45.8 percent, was 6-of-23 from beyond the arc, and hit 13-of-21 charity tosses.
1-3-15 1:30 PM at Columbus, Ga...Lumpkin Center
COLUMBUS ST. 73, FRANCIS MARION 51
FRANCIS MARION (3-8, 1-2)
Camille Dash 6-9 1-1 15; Khayani Chandler 3-10 0-2 7; Alaysia Watts 1-9 2-2
5; Cy'erra Mills 2-5 0-0 5; Briana Burgins 1-6 3-6 5; De'Ana Turner 0-6 4-6
4; Stephanie Brown 1-3 2-2 4; Emily Green 1-6 0-0 3; Mariah Johnson 1-2 0-0
3; Danielle Pray 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-57 12-19 51.
COLUMBUS ST. (13-0, 4-0)
Michelle Mitchell 11-16 7-8 29; Ashley Asouzu 5-9 2-3 12; Carrie Washington
4-5 2-8 10; Brea Walker 3-7 0-0 9; Dee Dee Deshazer 3-12 0-0 9; Britteny
Tatum 0-6 2-2 2; Eryn Cochran 1-2 0-0 2; Erin Morrow 0-1 0-0 0; Ashley
Johnson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-59 13-21 73.
Halftime: Francis Marion 37 Columbus St. 33
3-point goals--Francis Marion 7-20 (Camille Dash 2-3; Alaysia Watts 1-4;
Khayani Chandler 1-2; Mariah Johnson 1-1; Emily Green 1-6; Cy'erra Mills
1-2; Danielle Pray 0-1; Briana Burgins 0-1), Columbus St. 6-23 (Brea Walker
3-5; Dee Dee Deshazer 3-11; Britteny Tatum 0-4; Eryn Cochran 0-1; Erin
Morrow 0-1; Michelle Mitchell 0-1). Fouled out--Francis Marion-None,
Columbus St.-None. Rebounds--Francis Marion 32 (Alaysia Watts 7), Columbus
St. 49 (Ashley Asouzu 14). Assists--Francis Marion 8 (Alaysia Watts 2;
Cy'erra Mills 2; Briana Burgins 2), Columbus St. 16 (Dee Dee Deshazer 5).
Total fouls--Francis Marion 13, Columbus St. 14. Technical fouls--None. A-647
