SPARTANBURG, SC – Junior guard Scarlett Gilmore scored a team-high 21 points, including seven of the team's final eight points, to lead Francis Marion University to a come-from-behind 73-69 upset win over third-seeded Belmont Abbey College, Friday night (March 4) in the quarterfinals of 2022 Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball Tournament.
 
Francis Marion records its third consecutive win away from home to improve to 17-12.  The Patriots advance to face second-seeded University of Mount Olive (17-4) in the second semifinal on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
 
Gilmore drained a trio of three-pointers, none bigger than the one from the right elbow with 1:07 left that snapped a 65-65 deadlock.  She also made 8-of-9 free throws, including four straight in the final 25 seconds.
 
Sophomore All-Conference center Lauryn Taylor tallied her 13th double-double of the season with 17 points and 16 rebounds.  Freshman guard Kiana Lee continued her strong play since moving to the starting line-up with 16 points, while sophomore point guard Aniyah Oliver added 14 points and six rebounds.
 
Senior center Brittany Autry led the Crusaders (19-9) with 25 points and 13 rebounds.
 
Belmont Abbey held a 52-50 advantage entering the final quarter.  A quick 8-0 run staked the Patriots to a 58-52 lead, but the Crusaders answered with six in a row to re-tie the contest.
 
FMU never trailed again in the game, but the score was knotted at 65-65 with 1:24 remaining.  Gilmore hit her go-ahead three-pointer to put Francis Marion up 68-65.  Following a BAC miss, Gilmore hit two free throws with 25 ticks remaining to up the margin to five.
 
A lay-in by Autry brought Belmont Abbey within 70-67, but Gilmore made two free throws with 11 seconds left to give FMU a 72-67 lead.
 
The Crusaders scored the game's first five points and led 13-3 after four minutes.  The Patriots rallied to within 23-20 at the end of the period. Belmont Abbey led by as many nine in the second quarter and held a 39-34 edge at intermission.
 
The Patriots got to within two points on six occasions in the third period, but never got even until a floater in the lane by Lee tied the contest at 50-50 with 32 seconds remaining in the quarter.
 
Francis Marion shot 34.2 percent from the field, including eight makes from behind the arc, and was 15-of-20 at the line, while Belmont Abbey connected on 38.9 percent of its field goal attempts and all 10 of its free throws.

 
 
03/04/22 8:30 pm at Spartanburg, SC
FRANCIS MARION 73, BELMONT ABBEY 69
FRANCIS MARION (17-12,13-11 Conf)
Scarlett Gilmore 5-15 8-9 21; Lauryn Taylor 8-17 1-3 17; Kiana Lee 6-14 2-2
16; Aniyah Oliver 4-12 3-4 14; Jasmine Stanley 1-9 1-2 3; Jada Richards 1-4
0-0 2; MiLeia Owens 0-0 0-0 0; Jasmyne May 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-73 15-20 73.
BELMONT ABBEY (19-9,17-6 Confer)
Brittany Autry 11-19 3-3 25; Peyton Nation 6-12 0-0 12; Taylor Stelley 3-9
4-4 11; Jo Snow 3-13 3-3 10; Keyanna Spivey 2-6 0-0 4; Alexis Schulz 1-7 0-0
3; Kelli Thomas 1-3 0-0 2; Abigail Crain 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 28-72 10-10 69.
Francis Marion................   20   14   16   23  -   73
Belmont Abbey.................   23   16   13   17  -   69
3-point goals--Francis Marion 8-24 (Aniyah Oliver 3-6; Scarlett Gilmore 3-9;
Kiana Lee 2-4; Jada Richards 0-2; Lauryn Taylor 0-3), Belmont Abbey 3-14
(Taylor Stelley 1-4; Alexis Schulz 1-5; Jo Snow 1-5). Fouled out--Francis
Marion-None, Belmont Abbey-Taylor Stelley. Rebounds--Francis Marion 53
(Lauryn Taylor 16), Belmont Abbey 42 (Brittany Autry 13). Assists--Francis
Marion 7 (Jasmine Stanley 3), Belmont Abbey 10 (Taylor Stelley 3). Total
fouls--Francis Marion 13, Belmont Abbey 22. Technical fouls--None. A-585