FLORENCE, SC – Seniors Camille Dash and Alaysia Watts each scored a team-high 15 points and Francis Marion University never trailed during a 70-58 Peach Belt Conference win over Georgia College, Saturday afternoon (Jan. 30) in women's basketball action.

Francis Marion moves to 17-4 overall and 8-4 in the PBC and remains in third place in the East Division standings, one game behind the co-leaders.  The Patriots will entertain one of the co-leaders, Lander University, on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Smith University Center.

WATCH GAME REPLAY

Watts also hauled down a game-high 10 rebounds to register her eighth double-double of the season and 10th of her career.  Four Patriots scored nine points each: junior TeTe Flowers, sophomores Briana Burgins and Khayani Chandler, and freshman Shaunice Fulmore.

Freshman guard LaRice Walker led Georgia College (15-6, 7-5) with 24 points and five assists, while freshman forward Kadesha Gibbs tallied 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Dash and Watts combined for the game's opening eight points as FMU led 8-0 after three minutes.  That margin quickly swelled to 19-2 after a jumper by Candler with 2:25 left in the first quarter.  FMU connected on eight of its first 15 shots and held the Bobcats without a field goal for 7:50.  The Patriots held a 21-6 advantage at the close of the period.

Georgia College rallied in the second quarter and closed the gap to 24-20 following a fast-break lay-in by Ellie Fruit with 5:20 left before halftime.  The Patriots were held to only one made bucket over the opening seven-and-a-half minutes of the second period. However, five points from Watts sparked a mini-run that extended the FMU lead to 33-22 at intermission.

The margin remained at 11 when Francis Marion closed the third period with a 7-3 spurt that resulted in a 58-43 advantage heading to the final period.  The Patriots stretched the lead to 60-44 after two free throws by sophomore Kristen Tines with 8:37 left.  Twice Georgia College trimmed the margin to 10 points in the final three minutes, but that was as close the Bobcats would get.

FMU held a commanding 40-23 rebounding advantage that resulted in an 18-8 lead in second-chance points.

Francis Marion connected on 46.3 percent of its field goal attempts despite a 1-of-10 effort from behind the arc.  After making all 21 of its free throws in Wednesday's contest at Lander, the Patriots were 19-of-23 against the Bobcats on Saturday.  Georgia College shot 44.9 percent from the floor, was 3-of-15 from three-point territory, and hit 11-of-17 free throws.  

1-30-16 1:30 pm at Florence, SC (Smith University Center)
FRANCIS MARION UNIV. 70, GEORGIA COLLEGE 58
GEORGIA COLLEGE (15-6 , 7-5 PBC)
LaRice Walker 9-13 5-9 24; Kadesha Gibbs 6-11 6-8 18; Ellie Fruit 3-4 0-0 7;
Mckenna Rushton 2-4 0-0 5; Alyah McGriff 2-5 0-0 4; Sydney Cleveland 0-0 0-0
0; Christina Thomas 0-0 0-0 0; Jalyn Slaughter 0-0 0-0 0; Veronica Ryan 0-8
0-0 0; Lindsey Reed 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 22-49 11-17 58.
FRANCIS MARION UNIV. (17-4 , 8-4 PBC)
Camille Dash 5-12 5-6 15; Alaysia Watts 5-13 5-7 15; Khayani Chandler 4-8
1-1 9; TeTe Flowers 3-5 2-2 9; Shaunice Fulmore 3-8 3-4 9; Briana Burgins
4-7 1-1 9; Victoria Dye 1-1 0-0 2; Kristin Tines 0-0 2-2 2; Courtney Wood
0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-54 19-23 70.
Georgia College...............    6   16   21   15  -   58
Francis Marion Univ...........   21   12   25   12  -   70
3-point goals--Georgia College 3-15 (Mckenna Rushton 1-2; Ellie Fruit 1-2;
LaRice Walker 1-2; Veronica Ryan 0-6; Lindsey Reed 0-2; Kadesha Gibbs 0-1),
Francis Marion Univ. 1-10 (TeTe Flowers 1-2; Alaysia Watts 0-3; Khayani
Chandler 0-2; Camille Dash 0-3). Fouled out--Georgia College-Lindsey Reed,
Francis Marion Univ.-None. Rebounds--Georgia College 23 (Kadesha Gibbs 5),
Francis Marion Univ. 40 (Alaysia Watts 10). Assists--Georgia College 13
(LaRice Walker 5), Francis Marion Univ. 14 (TeTe Flowers 3; Victoria Dye 3;
Camille Dash 3). Total fouls--Georgia College 21, Francis Marion Univ. 19.
Technical fouls--None. A-624