FLORENCE, SC – Junior forward Alaysia Watts scored a career-high tying 11 points to lead four players in double figures and Francis Marion University led from wire-to-wire during a 68-52 Peach Belt Conference victory over Flagler College, Wednesday night (Jan. 7) in women's basketball action. 

The Patriots improve to 5-8 overall and 3-2 in the Peach Belt – good for sole possession of third place in the East Division standings.  FMU will play at Armstrong State University in Savannah, Ga., on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., before hosting three contests next week.

Watts connected on 4-of-7 field goal attempts and pulled down five rebounds.  Senior Cy'erra Mills and freshmen Stephanie Brown and Khayani Chandler all tallied 10 points.  Freshman Briana Burgins scored only two points, but registered a team-high eight rebounds, dished out four assists, and recorded four steals.  Chandler hauled down seven rebounds and also had four thefts, while Mills poached five steals.

Senior post player Treva Mason led Flagler (2-9. 0-5) with 17 points and 15 rebounds.  Junior guard Teosha Ray added 13 points for the Saints.

Francis Marion hit six of its first 10 shots and opened the contest with a 13-2 spurt.  The margin swelled to 15 points (22-7) after a jump shot by sophomore De'Ana Turner with 11:01 left in the first half.  Flagler crept back to within nine points with a 6-0 run, but FMU answered with an 11-2 run to take a 33-15 advantage.  The Patriot lead was 37-22 at intermission.

In the second half, Francis Marion led by as many as 23, at 58-35 following a layup by Brown off an assist from Chandler.  The Saints never got closer than 13 points during the final 20 minutes.

FMU shot 41.5 percent from the floor, while holding Flagler to 30.5 percent shooting.  The Patriots were 6-of-18 from behind the three-point arc, while the Saints were 3-of-19. 

Francis Marion forced 28 Saints' turnovers which were converted into 25 points.  FMU also held a 30-7 advantage in bench scoring as all 11 players who saw action scored.