FLORENCE, SC – Francis Marion University sophomore point guard Aniyah Oliver scored a career-high 19 points, but two-time Conference Carolinas Player of the Year Shanika Peterkin scored 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead a second-half comeback as eighth-ranked Barton College defeated the upset-minded Patriots 70-64, Wednesday evening (Feb. 16) in women's basketball action.
 
Francis Marion (13-10, 12-9) will host Emmanuel College (Ga.) on Saturday at 2 p.m.  The Patriots' two seniors will be recognized prior to tip-off.
 
Oliver also grabbed six rebounds and handed out four assists.  Junior center Jasmine Stanley came off the Patriot bench to register her second career double-double with 12 points (on 5-of-5 shooting) and 11 rebounds.  Junior guard Scarlett Gilmore added 10 points.
 
The conference-leading Bulldogs (23-1, 19-1) have won their last 17 games.
 
The Patriots never trailed until late in the third period.  FMU led by as many as seven on three occasions in the first quarter, before settling for a 21-17 advantage when the horn sounded.
 
Again Francis Marion would take a seven-point lead in the second quarter, 33-26 after a lay-up by Stanley with 3:27 on the clock, before owning a 33-29 margin at halftime.
 
A step-back jumper by Gilmore 2:02 into the third period gave FMU its largest lead at 39-31.  Barton responded with a 7-0 spurt to pull within 39-38.  A fast-break lay-in by sophomore center Lauryn Taylor restored the Patriot lead to six at 46-40, but the Bulldogs scored nine of the game's next 11 points to take their first lead at 49-48.
 
Barton would hold a 52-50 advantage heading to the final quarter after Jami Tham converted a lay-up with 30 ticks left.
 
A pair of free throws by Oliver early in the fourth period knotted the game at 52-52.  Barton rattled off five straight points to take the lead for good.  The deficit would reach seven at 65-58, before Stanley made two free throws and Oliver scored on a driving lay-up to pull the Patriots within 65-62 with 1:53 remaining. 
 
A Bulldog lay-up and later a free throw by Peterkin pushed the margin to 68-62.  Freshman Kiana Lee scored on an inside hoop with 21 ticks left, but Akira Wiggins sealed the victory for Barton with two free throws with 19 seconds left.
 
Francis Marion connected on 40.9 percent of its field goal attempts and was 8-of-9 from the line.  Barton was held to 36.4 percent from the field and made 10-of-14 charity tosses.  However, the Bulldogs made 10-of-15 field goal attempts in the decisive third quarter.
 
FMU held an 18-4 edge in bench points and a 13-5 margin in fast-break points.

 
  
02/16/22 5:30 pm at Florence, SC
#8 BARTON 70, FRANCIS MARION 64
BARTON (23-1,19-1 Confer)
Shanika Peterkin 14-24 4-7 32; Akira Wiggins 4-14 3-3 13; Michelle Gainey
4-10 1-2 11; Jami Tham 3-14 0-0 6; Kaliyah Gladney 1-3 2-2 4; Aniyah Jones
2-8 0-0 4; Jada Battle 0-0 0-0 0; Payton Sutton 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 28-77
10-14 70.
FRANCIS MARION (13-10,12-9 Confe)
Aniyah Oliver 7-14 5-5 19; Jasmine Stanley 5-5 2-2 12; Scarlett Gilmore 5-13
0-0 10; Lauryn Taylor 4-15 0-0 9; Kiana Lee 4-10 0-0 8; Jada Richards 1-6
1-2 4; Janiyah Hagood 1-3 0-0 2; MiLeia Owens 0-0 0-0 0; Jasmyne May 0-0 0-0
0. Totals 27-66 8-9 64.
Barton........................   17   12   23   18  -   70
Francis Marion...........   21   12   17   14  -   64
3-point goals--Barton 4-18 (Akira Wiggins 2-8; Michelle Gainey 2-5; Aniyah
Jones 0-3; Payton Sutton 0-1; Jami Tham 0-1), Francis Marion 2-17 (Jada
Richards 1-2; Lauryn Taylor 1-4; Scarlett Gilmore 0-5; Kiana Lee 0-2;
Janiyah Hagood 0-1; Aniyah Oliver 0-3). Fouled out--Barton-None, Francis
Marion-None. Rebounds--Barton 47 (Shanika Peterkin 15; Jami Tham 15),
Francis Marion 39 (Jasmine Stanley 11). Assists--Barton 21 (Payton Sutton
6), Francis Marion 10 (Aniyah Oliver 4). Total fouls--Barton 13, Francis
Marion 17. Technical fouls--Francis Marion-Scarlett Gilmore. A-229