BANNER ELK, NC – Senior post player
Lauryn Taylor tallied 25 points and 21 rebounds and Francis Marion University methodically defeated Lees-McRae College 72-56, Saturday afternoon (Jan. 13) in Conference Carolinas women's basketball action.
Francis Marion (10-5, 6-1) captures its eighth win in the last nine games. FMU has won four straight, during which time the Patriots have not trailed (160 consecutive minutes).
FMU will play a non-conference game on Thursday when the Patriots host Clinton College at 6 p.m., and then returns to conference play by entertaining North Greenville University at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20.
Taylor registered her point total on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor. Her season-high rebound total pushed her past former Patriot greats Kisha Conway and Mary Jackson and into 11th position on the Patriot career rebounding list with 799.
Junior forward
Kiana Lee followed Taylor with 16 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore
Trinity Adams recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. FMU outrebounded the Bobcats 59-32 and held a 14-3 edge in second-chance points.
FMU senior point guard
Aniyah Oliver added 11 points eight rebounds, and three assists, and in the process became only the seventh Patriot to register 400 career assists.
Kirsten Watt led Lees-McRae (1-10, 0-6) with 14 points, while both Layla Tillery and Nadiya Hairston scored 10 apiece.
Although FMU never trailed. The game did feature two early ties, the final one at 6-6. A lay-up by junior
Jada Richards, a 15-foot jumper by Oliver, and two free throws by Adams accounted for a 6-0 spurt that put the Patriots on top to stay. A lay-in by Taylor gave Francis Marion a 19-11 advantage as the first quarter ended.
The Patriots scored the opening seven points of the second period to open a 26-11 lead, but the Bobcats answered with their own 7-0 run. FMU headed for the locker room at halftime holding a 33-24 lead.
A jump shot by Paris Brown brought Lees-McRae to within six points at 44-38 with 4:10 left in the third quarter. Five straight points by Taylor ignited a 14-2 spurt that gave FMU its largest lead at 58-40 with a minute left in the period.
The Bobcats managed to trim the margin to 11 points (67-56) with 2:25 remaining, but that was as close as they would get. A driving lay-up by Taylor and a step-back three-pointer by Oliver accounted for the final points and the 16-point margin.
Francis Marion connected on 40.6 percent of its field goal attempts and was 15-of-20 at the foul line, while the Bobcats shot 31.3 percent from the floor and was 9-of-15 at the free throw stripe.
01/13/24 2:00 pm at Banner Elk, NC
FRANCIS MARION 72, LEES-MCRAE 56
FRANCIS MARION (10-5, 6-1)
Lauryn Taylor 9-15 5-8 25;
Kiana Lee 7-17 1-2 16;
Trinity Adams 5-10 2-2 12;
Aniyah Oliver 3-9 4-4 11;
Jada Richards 2-10 2-2 7;
Nevaeh Farmer 0-1 1-2 1;
MacKenzie Feagin 0-1 0-0 0;
MiLeia Owens 0-1 0-0 0;
Sydney Turner 0-0 0-0 0;
Trinity Delaney 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-64 15-20 72.
LEES-MCRAE (1-10, 0-6)
Kirsten Watt 6-12 2-2 14; Layla Tillery 3-12 4-4 10; Nadiya Hairston 4-9 1-4
10; Sandra Mason 2-5 0-0 5; Paris Brown 2-3 0-0 5; Emily Barr 2-8 0-1 4;
Dianna Spence 1-6 1-2 4; Logan Dutka 1-6 0-0 3; Thailand Smith 0-1 1-2 1;
Sydney Hayes 0-1 0-0 0; Aleysha Hill 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 21-67 9-15 56.
Francis Marion................ 19 14 25 14 - 72
Lees-McRae.................... 11 13 19 13 - 56
3-point goals--Francis Marion 5-21 (
Lauryn Taylor 2-3;
Aniyah Oliver 1-3;
Kiana Lee 1-3;
Jada Richards 1-6;
MacKenzie Feagin 0-1;
Nevaeh Farmer 0-1;
Trinity Adams 0-4), Lees-McRae 5-22 (Paris Brown 1-2; Sandra Mason 1-4;
Logan Dutka 1-3; Dianna Spence 1-5; Nadiya Hairston 1-4; Sydney Hayes 0-1;
Emily Barr 0-1; Kirsten Watt 0-2). Fouled out--Francis Marion-None,
Lees-McRae-Emily Barr. Rebounds--Francis Marion 59 (
Lauryn Taylor 21),
Lees-McRae 32 (Emily Barr 8). Assists--Francis Marion 13 (
Lauryn Taylor 4),
Lees-McRae 11 (Aleysha Hill 3). Total fouls--Francis Marion 15, Lees-McRae
18. Technical fouls--Francis Marion-
Jada Richards. A-227
