FLORENCE, SC – Junior center Lauryn Taylor posted her third double-double in a row with a game-high 23 points and 15 rebounds and Francis Marion University shot 72.0 percent from the floor over the final two quarters to register its fifth win in a row with a 79-58 victory over King University (Tenn.), Saturday afternoon (Jan. 7) in Conference Carolinas women's basketball action.
 
Francis Marion (7-6, 5-2) is tied for third in the conference standings and will return to the Walter D. Smith University Center in a week to host Erskine College on Saturday (Jan. 14) at 2 p.m.
 
Taylor's 23 points came from an 11-of-19 shooting performance. Senior forward Jasmine Stanley supplied a season-high 18 points, seven rebounds, and a game-high two blocks. Sophomore guard Kiana Lee registered a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while junior guard Aniyah Oliver posted nine points and a game-high seven assists.
 
Freshmen guard Tori Smiley dropped 17 points and sophomore forward Alexa Gramann registered 13 points and nine rebounds for King University (4-11, 4-3). 
 
To begin the first quarter, the Patriots opened with a 6-2 lead after a Stanley layup. About two minutes later, King closed the gap to one at 6-5 after a three-pointer by guard Jaden Potts. A layup by Lee put FMU back ahead by three until King's Ellington knocked down a three-pointer knotting it at 8-8 with 4:47 left in the quarter.
 
King's first lead would come shortly after a layup from Gramann pushing them ahead 10-8. With under two minutes left in the quarter, an Oliver floater tied it up at 10-10 until the Tornado answered back with a Smiley driving layup to go up by two once again. After an Oliver free throw to bring FMU within one, Lee would splash a three-pointer to give the Patriots the lead at 14-12. Two free throws from King's Smiley knotted the score at 14-14 heading into the second quarter.
 
The Patriots and Tornado would have six lead changes in the second quarter as the back-and-forth battle continued. With the Patriots down by one at 21-20 with 6:07 remaining in the half, layups from senior guard Scarlett Gilmore and Stanley gave FMU a three-point lead. With the Patriots ahead by one at 24-23, FMU would score six in a row to acquire their largest lead, 30-23, with 2:02 remaining in the half.
 
Three straight three-pointers from the Tornado brought them back to life knotting the score at 32-32 going into the halftime break.
 
Potts grabbed the lead for the Tornado quickly to start the third quarter at 34-32. After both sides traded baskets and knotted the score at 36-36, the Patriots finished the quarter scoring 19 to the Tornado's eight giving FMU a 55-44 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
 
The fourth quarter would be no different for FMU, as they opened with four consecutive baskets to jump ahead by 19 at 63-44 with 7:48 remaining in the contest. After a Taylor layup to give FMU a 19-point lead again, a three-pointer from guard Jhayda McKinney and a Smiley layup brought the Tornado within 14 at 67-53, but that would be the closest they got with 4:20 remaining.
 
The Patriots would end the game on a 7-2 run to secure the victory.  Francis Marion connected on 18-of-25 field goal attempts over the final 20 minutes, while holding King to 28.6 percent shooting.  FMU outscored the Tornado 47-26 after being knotted at halftime.
 
Francis Marion shot 51.6 percent from the floor for the game and was 11-of-17 at the charity stripe. King shot 31.8 percent from the floor, sinking 8-of-20 from behind the three-point arc, and was 8-of-12 at the charity stripe. The Patriots had 26 fast break points and over half of their points were scored in the paint (58).

 
 
01/07/23 2:00 pm at Florence, SC
FRANCIS MARION 79, KING (TN) 58
KING (TN) (4-11, 4-3)
Tori Smiley 5-11 5-7 17; Alexa Gramann 5-13 3-3 13; Le'Aije Ellington 3-8
0-0 8; Jhayda McKinney 2-4 0-0 5; Jaden Potts 2-11 0-0 5; Jaelyn West 2-5
0-0 5; Michelle Gallegos 1-2 0-0 3; Ashley Allen 1-5 0-0 2; Jordan Weir 0-2
0-2 0; Jada Campbell 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 21-66 8-12 58.
FRANCIS MARION (7-6, 5-2)
Lauryn Taylor 11-19 0-1 23; Jasmine Stanley 9-16 0-1 18; Kiana Lee 4-10 2-2
11; Scarlett Gilmore 4-8 1-3 9; Aniyah Oliver 3-5 3-5 9; Trinity Adams 2-4
1-1 5; Alexis Sexton 0-2 2-2 2; MiLeia Owens 0-0 2-2 2; Janiyah Hagood 0-0
0-0 0; Jada Richards 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-64 11-17 79.
King (TN).....................   14   18   12   14  -   58
Francis Marion................   14   18   23   24  -   79
3-point goals--King (TN) 8-20 (Le'Aije Ellington 2-3; Tori Smiley 2-5;
Jhayda McKinney 1-1; Jaden Potts 1-5; Jaelyn West 1-2; Michelle Gallegos
1-2; Jada Campbell 0-2), Francis Marion 2-10 (Lauryn Taylor 1-4; Kiana Lee
1-2; Scarlett Gilmore 0-2; Alexis Sexton 0-2). Fouled out--King (TN)-None,
Francis Marion-None. Rebounds--King (TN) 37 (Alexa Gramann 9), Francis
Marion 43 (Lauryn Taylor 15). Assists--King (TN) 15 (Jaden Potts 5), Francis
Marion 19 (Aniyah Oliver 7). Total fouls--King (TN) 18, Francis Marion 14.
Technical fouls--None. A-204