FLORENCE, SC – Junior center Lauryn Taylor and sophomore guard Kiana Lee recorded double-doubles to power Francis Marion University to a 73-64 non-conference win over Newberry College, Wednesday night (Nov. 16) in women's basketball action.
 
The Patriots (1-2) will hit the road and head to Fayetteville State University on Saturday (Nov. 19) for a 2 p.m. tip-off before returning home for their first Conference Carolinas matchup against Chowan University on Nov. 22.
 
Taylor tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds (five offensive), and two steals, while shooting 7-of-14 from the floor. Lee registered 11 points, a career-high 11 rebounds (four offensive), and five assists.
 
FMU senior guard Scarlett Gilmore chipped in with 16 points and five rebounds, while junior point guard Aniyah Oliver added 12 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
 
Senior center Ericka Wisely and junior guard Payton Cronen paced Newberry (0-3) with 14 points each.  The Wolves are coached by 2004 FMU graduate and former Patriot cager Joanna Tincher.
 
The first quarter would be a tight back-and-forth battle as the Wolves drew first blood, but would be answered by an Oliver three-pointer. Newberry would lead by three with 7:14 left in the quarter, but the Patriots quickly responded with a seven-point run to lead by four at 10-6. The Patriots would hold a three-point lead with 1:06 on the clock, but the Wolves would take the lead again with a three-pointer from Cronen and a last-second lay-in to end the quarter up by two (15-13).
 
Newberry would never trail in the second quarter and go up by as much as 12, before entering halftime up by 10 points, 37-27.
 
The second half would show an explosive Patriots side as they opened the quarter with a 13-2 run to take the lead for the first time since the end of the first quarter. Gilmore would push the Patriots ahead by one (40-39) with a second-chance jumper from just outside the paint. The Wolves would regain the lead and hold on to it until sophomore guard Jada Richards splashed in a three-pointer with 2:33 left. From that bucket on, FMU would never trail. Newberry would tie it up at 50-50 at the end of the third quarter and on four more occasions in the fourth quarter.
 
The final deadlock came at 60-60 with 5:40 remaining.  Taylor began a game-deciding 9-0 spurt with a three-pointer, followed by buckets in the paint by Lee, Jasmine Stanley, and Oliver.
 
Francis Marion shot 41.5 percent from the floor and was 15-of-28 at the foul stripe, while Newberry shot 42.4 percent and was 8-of-9 on free throws.
 
The Patriot protected the boards despite being outsized, holding a 44-35 rebounding edge. FMU would also score 17 points off of Newberry turnovers.

 
 
11/16/22 6:00 pm at Florence, SC
FRANCIS MARION 73, NEWBERRY 64
NEWBERRY (0-3)
Payton Cronen 5-9 0-0 14; Ericka Wiseley 7-14 0-0 14; Giulia Bongiorno 3-11
2-3 9; Mercer Roberts 2-2 2-2 7; April Rummery-Lamb 3-8 0-0 6; Holly Davies
2-6 2-2 6; Faith Putz 1-3 0-0 2; Tyla Stolberg 1-1 0-0 2; Dyani Burke 1-4
0-0 2; Ella Pearson 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 25-59 8-9 64.
FRANCIS MARION (1-2)
Lauryn Taylor 7-14 4-8 19; Scarlett Gilmore 6-13 3-4 16; Aniyah Oliver 4-10
3-7 12; Kiana Lee 4-10 3-4 11; Jasmine Stanley 4-8 1-3 9; Jada Richards 1-5
0-0 3; Janiyah Hagood 1-1 0-0 2; Trinity Adams 0-4 1-2 1; MiLeia Owens 0-0
0-0 0; Alexis Sexton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-65 15-28 73.
Newberry......................   15   22   13   14  -   64
Francis Marion.............   13   14   23   23  -   73
3-point goals--Newberry 6-18 (Payton Cronen 4-6; Giulia Bongiorno 1-4;
Mercer Roberts 1-1; Holly Davies 0-2; Faith Putz 0-2; Dyani Burke 0-1; Ella
Pearson 0-1; April Rummery-Lamb 0-1), Francis Marion 4-20 (Aniyah Oliver
1-2; Scarlett Gilmore 1-5; Lauryn Taylor 1-5; Jada Richards 1-4; Trinity
Adams 0-1; Kiana Lee 0-3). Fouled out--Newberry-Giulia Bongiorno, Francis
Marion-None. Rebounds--Newberry 35 (Giulia Bongiorno 5; Ericka Wiseley 5),
Francis Marion 44 (Kiana Lee 11). Assists--Newberry 15 (Giulia Bongiorno 7),
Francis Marion 18 (Aniyah Oliver 6). Total fouls--Newberry 22, Francis
Marion 13. Technical fouls--None. A-289