FLORENCE, SC – Sophomore center Lauryn Taylor posted a massive double-double with career-highs of 29 points and 23 rebounds and freshmen Kiana Lee and Jada Richards keyed an 18-0 third-quarter run as Francis Marion University rallied to claim an 82-66 win over North Greenville University, Friday evening (Feb. 11) in Conference Carolinas women's basketball action.
 
Francis Marion improves to 12-9 overall and 11-8 in league play, while NGU drops to 7-15 and 7-11.  FMU will return to the Smith University Center court on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. when the Patriots host Converse University.
 
Taylor connected on 12-of-24 field goal attempts and was 5-of-6 at the foul line.  Her rebound total was the highest single-game effort for a Patriot since Kisha Conway hauled down 26 boards during a Feb. 22, 1996 contest against Augusta University.  This was Taylor's eighth double-double of the year and her third in the last three games.
 
Lee followed with a career-high 20 points as the North Augusta native hit 7-of-11 shots, including 4-of-6 from behind the arc, and was 2-of-2 at the free throw stripe.
 
FMU sophomore point guard Aniyah Oliver scored eight points and dished out a career-high 10 assists.
 
Jykya Bell, a native of Dillon, led the Crusaders with 15 points.
 
Francis Marion rolled to a 24-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter as Taylor scored 12 of her points in the opening 10 minutes. 
 
The margin grew to 18 points as Taylor made a free throw to open the second-period scoring.  However, North Greenville responded with 13 consecutive points to draw within 25-20 as the Patriots went scoreless for nearly four minutes.  A 34-foot three-pointer by NGU's Aniecia Malone at the halftime horn further trimmed the margin to 34-33.
 
A bucket to open the second half gave the Crusaders a one-point lead.  A hook shot in the paint by the Crusaders' Tolisha Walker extended the NGU lead to 43-40.  Francis Marion would hold North Greenville scoreless for the next five minutes while scoring the 18 consecutive points, five each by Lee and Richards, to take a 58-43 lead.
 
FMU led 60-50 heading into the fourth quarter.  North Greenville trimmed the deficit to six on two occasions, the last time at 62-56 with 7:01 left, but Taylor scored a pair of buckets and Richards drained a three-pointer to push the lead to 69-56.  The difference would remain in double digits for the remainder of the game.
 
Francis Marion shot 44.8 percent from the floor, including 7-of-19 from three-point range, and hit 15-of-17 free throw attempts.  North Greenville connected on 40.7 percent of its shots, including 3-of-15 from long range, and was 15-of-18 at the free throw stripe.
 
FMU held a commanding 46-26 rebounding edge and led 24-6 in second-chance points.

 
 
02/11/22 5:30 pm at Florence, SC
FRANCIS MARION 82, NORTH GREENVILLE 66
NORTH GREENVILLE (7-15,7-11 Confer)
Jykya Bell 6-13 2-3 15; Haylee Luttrell 4-8 6-6 14; Tolisha Walker 5-8 1-1
11; Aniecia Malone 2-5 4-4 9; Tabitha Littlefield 2-7 1-2 5; Zahria Jenkins
2-4 0-0 4; Morgan Vulpis 1-1 0-0 3; Jayda Glass 1-10 1-2 3; Abi Oates 1-3
0-0 2; Sarah Cline 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-59 15-18 66.
FRANCIS MARION (12-9,11-8 Confer)
Lauryn Taylor 12-24 5-6 29; Kiana Lee 7-11 2-2 20; Jada Richards 3-7 0-0 8;
Jasmine Stanley 2-4 4-4 8; Aniyah Oliver 3-7 2-3 8; Scarlett Gilmore 2-12
2-2 7; Janiyah Hagood 1-1 0-0 2; Ke'Onna Bryant 0-0 0-0 0; MiLeia Owens 0-0
0-0 0; Jasmyne May 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-67 15-17 82.
North Greenville..............    7   26   17   16  -   66
Francis Marion................   24   10   26   22  -   82
3-point goals--North Greenville 3-15 (Aniecia Malone 1-2; Morgan Vulpis 1-1;
Jykya Bell 1-3; Zahria Jenkins 0-1; Jayda Glass 0-6; Abi Oates 0-2), Francis
Marion 7-19 (Kiana Lee 4-6; Jada Richards 2-4; Scarlett Gilmore 1-7; Lauryn
Taylor 0-2). Fouled out--North Greenville-None, Francis Marion-None.
Rebounds--North Greenville 26 (Tolisha Walker 7), Francis Marion 46 (Lauryn
Taylor 23). Assists--North Greenville 17 (Jayda Glass 4; Abi Oates 4),
Francis Marion 19 (Aniyah Oliver 10). Total fouls--North Greenville 17,
Francis Marion 16. Technical fouls--North Greenville-None, Francis
Marion-Kiana Lee. A-282