TIGERVILLE, SC – Freshman guard Kiana Lee scored a career-high 17 points and sparked a decisive third-quarter run as Francis Marion University rallied for a 91-77 road win over North Greenville University, Friday evening (Jan. 21) in Conference Carolinas women's basketball action.
 
Francis Marion (7-6, 6-5), winners of three straight, will conclude its weekend trip to the Upstate with a 2 p.m. contest at Converse University on Saturday.  The Patriots will then return home to entertain UNC Pembroke on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the latest installment of The Battle of I-95.
 
Lee connected on 5-of-6 field goal attempts and 7-of-10 free throws, while also stuffing the stats sheet with four rebounds, four steals, and three assists after coming off the FMU bench.
 
Sophomore center Lauryn Taylor led Francis Marion with 20 points, 14 of which came in the opening half, and nine rebounds.  Junior Zaria Woods tallied 15 points and seven rebounds, while junior guard Scarlett Gilmore also scored 15.  Sophomore point guard Aniyah Oliver added five points, five rebounds, and eight assists, while directing FMU to its highest scoring output of the season.
 
Haylee Luttrell led North Greenville (3-11, 3-7) with 21 points and seven assists.
 
After allowing 52.9 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes and trailing 45-42 at halftime, Francis Marion ratcheted up the defense in the third and fourth quarters.  The Patriots allowed only 32 points after intermission, and 11 of those came in the final few minutes after the contest was decided, on 35.3 percent shooting.
 
Trailing 56-55 midway through the third quarter, Lee began and ended an 8-0 run that gave FMU the lead for good.  A three-pointer by senior Jasmyne May ended the third period and extended the margin to 68-61.
 
After NGU scored the opening points of the final quarter, the Patriots took full control with a 17-3 run that produced an 85-66 advantage.  Lee contributed five points to the spurt, while Woods scored six.
 
FMU shot 45.9 percent from the field, including 7-of-22 from three-point range, and hit 16-of-24 free throws.  North Greenville finished the game shooting 44.1 percent, including 7-of-21 from behind the arc, and was 10-of-14 at the charity stripe.
 
Francis Marion owned a 24-6 lead in fast-break points and a 25-13 edge in points off turnovers.
 
A fast-paced back-and-forth first quarter featured 12 lead changes and no margin larger than five points.  UNG led 27-23 when the horn sounded.
 
Francis Marion quickly regained the lead with seven consecutive points to start the second period.  NGU responded with a 9-4 spurt to back on top and the Crusaders would eventually retire to the locker room holding the 45-42 advantage.
 
01/21/22 5:00 pm at Tigerville, SC
FRANCIS MARION 91, NORTH GREENVILLE 77
FRANCIS MARION (7-6,6-5 Conferen)
Lauryn Taylor 9-17 1-4 20; Kiana Lee 5-6 7-10 17; Scarlett Gilmore 5-11 2-2
15; Zaria Woods 7-9 1-2 15; Jasmyne May 3-6 0-0 7; Jada Richards 2-9 0-0 6;
Aniyah Oliver 1-7 3-4 5; Jasmine Stanley 1-2 0-0 2; Ke'Onna Bryant 0-1 2-2
2; Myesha Huggins 1-1 0-0 2; Janiyah Hagood 0-4 0-0 0; MiLeia Owens 0-1 0-0
0. Totals 34-74 16-24 91.
NORTH GREENVILLE (3-11,3-7 Confere)
Haylee Luttrell 9-14 2-4 21; Tolisha Walker 7-17 2-2 16; Abi Oates 3-6 2-2
11; Jykya Bell 4-9 1-2 9; Morgan Vulpis 2-6 1-2 7; Tabitha Littlefield 2-3
2-2 6; Zahria Jenkins 1-4 0-0 3; Angie Rodriguez 1-5 0-0 2; Aniecia Malone
1-3 0-0 2; Sarah Cline 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-68 10-14 77.
Francis Marion................   23   19   26   23  -   91
North Greenville..............   27   18   16   16  -   77
3-point goals--Francis Marion 7-22 (Scarlett Gilmore 3-7; Jada Richards 2-8;
Lauryn Taylor 1-2; Jasmyne May 1-1; Janiyah Hagood 0-1; MiLeia Owens 0-1;
Aniyah Oliver 0-1; Kiana Lee 0-1), North Greenville 7-21 (Abi Oates 3-6;
Morgan Vulpis 2-5; Zahria Jenkins 1-3; Haylee Luttrell 1-4; Angie Rodriguez
0-1; Sarah Cline 0-1; Jykya Bell 0-1). Fouled out--Francis Marion-None,
North Greenville-None. Rebounds--Francis Marion 39 (Lauryn Taylor 9), North
Greenville 29 (Morgan Vulpis 7). Assists--Francis Marion 29 (Aniyah Oliver
8), North Greenville 15 (Haylee Luttrell 7). Total fouls--Francis Marion 16,
North Greenville 19. Technical fouls--None. A-174