FLORENCE, SC – Junior forward Trinity Adams scored a game-high 22 points and registered career highs for rebounds (16) and assists (8) to lead Francis Marion University to a methodical 79-51 victory over Erskine College, Saturday afternoon (Jan. 18) in Conference Carolinas women's basketball play.
 
Francis Marion improves to 12-3 overall and 7-1 in conference play.  FMU will play at Young Harris College on Monday afternoon at 3:30 p.m., the first of two road contests next week.
 
Adams canned 4-of-5 attempts from behind the three-point arc and also added three steals and three blocks to her stuffed stat line.  Freshman guard Kiara Croskey tallied 14 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, while senior guard Kennedi Simmons scored 13 points, and sophomore center Trinity Delaney and sophomore guard MacKenzie Feagin each added 11 points.
 
Patriot junior center Danielle Jackson added six points, 10 rebounds, and four blocked shots as the Patriots won for the 26th time in their last 28 home games.
 
Freshman guard Ahrianna Scott led Erskine (3-12, 2-8) with 14 points.
 
Francis Marion trailed only once, at 2-0 after two free throws to open the game.  The Patriots responded with a 7-0 spurt to take the lead.  A turn-around jumper in the paint by Delaney extended the FMU advantage to 13-4, but Erskine rallied to within 15-14 after a three-pointer by Mariah Moody. FMU led 23-21 at the end of the first quarter.
 
The Flying Fleet knotted the score at 24-24 on a three-pointer by Scott at the 7:39 mark of the second period.  Eight points from Adams then keyed an 11-0 run that gave the Patriots the lead for good.  The margin was 13 points (41-28) at halftime.
 
FMU did not score for the first three-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter allowing Erskine to pull within 41-35.  Adams scored the game's next five points to ignite a 7-2 spurt the pushed the advantage back to double figures at 48-36.  A 7-0 run to end the period swelled the margin to 16 points at 58-42 as the horn sounded.
 
The Patriots outscored Erskine 21-9 in the final quarter and were never seriously threatened.
 
Francis Marion connected on 37.3 percent of its field goal attempts, including 9-of-23 from long range, and was 14-of-16 at the free throw stripe.  The Patriot defense held the Flying Fleet to 28.1 percent shooting, including only 2-of-13 shots over the final 10 minutes.  Erskine was 13-of-18 at the foul line.
 
FMU forced 28 turnovers which were converted into 25 points and the Patriots held a 32-16 advantage in points in the paint.