FLORENCE, SC – A 9-0 run to end the first half allowed Augusta University to take the lead for good and go on to a 70-64 victory over Francis Marion University, Wednesday night (Feb. 24) in Peach Belt Conference women's basketball action.
 
Francis Marion will host Flagler College on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Prior to tip-off, the Patriots will recognize their six seniors.  Attendance is limited to 250 and that includes only season ticket holders, FMU students with pre-acquired tickets, and FMU player/staff family members identified on a pre-game pass list. No general admission game-day tickets will be sold.
 
Sophomore guard Scarlett Gilmore led the Patriots with a career-high 26 points, while adding six rebounds and three assists.  Freshman 6-0 center Lauryn Taylor tallied 22 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, her third double-double of her young career.
 
Kiera Howard and November Morton each scored 14 points to pace four Jaguars (6-7, 5-4) scoring in double figures.
 
Gilmore and Taylor combined for 14 points in the opening quarter as FMU forged an 18-15 advantage.  A step-back three-pointer from Taylor gave the Patriots a 21-18 lead three minutes into the second period.  She later converted a three-point play to knot the score at 25-25 with 3:35 left before halftime.  However, Augusta scored the half's final nine points to lead 34-25 at intermission.
 
The lead would swell to 14 on two occasions in the third quarter, the latter time at 51-37 with 1:36 on the clock.  A floater in the lane by freshman Aniyah Oliver with 4:11 left in the contest trimmed the margin to 63-53, but Augusta scored the next seven points to go up 70-53.  A late 11-0 spurt by Francis Marion accounted for the final six-point difference.
 
Francis Marion shot 38.3 percent from the floor and made 14-of-22 free throw attempts, while Augusta connected on 50 percent of its field goal attempts and was 9-of-14 at the charity stripe. The Patriots outrebounded the Jaguars 42-26.


 
02/24/21 5:30 pm at Florence, SC
AUGUSTA 70, FRANCIS MARION 64
AUGUSTA (6-8,5-4 Peach Be)
Kiera Howard 6-10 2-2 14; November Morton 4-11 3-4 14; Kennedi Manning 6-9
0-1 12; Michaela  Lane 5-9 0-1 10; Asia Harrison 2-6 3-4 7; Ashleigh Boulin
3-6 0-0 6; Jaelyn Autman 1-1 1-2 3; Zairya West 1-4 0-0 2; Stella Logbognon
1-2 0-0 2; Mechella Davis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-58 9-14 70.
FRANCIS MARION (1-10,1-9 Peach B)
Scarlett Gilmore 7-16 9-11 26; Lauryn Taylor 9-17 3-6 22; Jasmine Stanley
2-6 1-3 5; Briana White 2-5 0-0 4; Taylor Simmons 1-3 1-2 3; Aniyah Oliver
1-6 0-0 2; Jasmyne May 1-3 0-0 2; Ravyn Madaris 0-0 0-0 0; Khamele Manning
0-1 0-0 0; Abigail Bullock 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 23-60 14-22 64.
Augusta.......................   15   19   17   19  -   70
Francis Marion..............  18    7   13   26  -   64
3-point goals--Augusta 3-13 (November Morton 3-8; Asia Harrison 0-1; Zairya
West 0-3; Kiera Howard 0-1), Francis Marion 4-21 (Scarlett Gilmore 3-7;
Lauryn Taylor 1-4; Briana White 0-1; Taylor Simmons 0-1; Aniyah Oliver 0-3;
Jasmyne May 0-1; Khamele Manning 0-1; Abigail Bullock 0-2; Jasmine Stanley
0-1). Fouled out--Augusta-None, Francis Marion-None. Rebounds--Augusta 26
(Kiera Howard 9), Francis Marion 42 (Lauryn Taylor 13). Assists--Augusta 16
(Kiera Howard 7), Francis Marion 15 (Aniyah Oliver 5). Total fouls--Augusta
19, Francis Marion 13. Technical fouls--None. A-109