FLORENCE, SC – Junior guard Yasmine Brown followed up her own miss with half a second remaining to give Chowan University a 68-66 overtime victory over Francis Marion University, Wednesday night (Jan. 8) in a battle of unbeaten women's teams in Conference Carolinas play.
 
Francis Marion drops to 10-3 and 5-1, while the Hawks improve to 9-0 and 5-0.  FMU's game at Shorter University on Saturday has been postponed due to expected winter weather in the area.  The Patriots will return to the hardcourt on Wednesday, Jan. 15, when they host the University of Mount Olive at 5:30 p.m.
 
Junior Trinity Adams and sophomore center Trinity Delaney each scored 15 points to lead FMU.  Adams also pulled down six rebounds and gathered three steals, while for Delaney, the total equaled her career high.
 
Senior guard Kennedi Simmons added 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while senior guard Jada Richards chipped in 10 points.
 
Brown and Desiree Askew paced Chowan with 18 points apiece.
 
Francis Marion rallied from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force the extra session.  Richards knotted the game at 56-56 on a three-pointer from the left elbow with 18.2 ticks left in regulation.  Brown countered with a floater in the lane with 8.4 seconds left to put the Hawks up 58-56, but Simmons scored on a lay-up as the horn sounded to tie the contest at 58-58.
 
In overtime, FMU claimed a 62-58 edge after two free throws by Delaney and a fast-break bucket by Richards.  However, Chowan answered with five straight points to go up 63-62.
 
A free throw by Danea Mackey gave the Hawks a 66-64 advantage with 18.7 seconds left, but Simmons converted a lay-in with 5.8 ticks remaining to tie the game at 66-66.  Following a Chowan timeout that advanced the ball to midcourt, Brown drove into the lane, but her shot was blocked by FMU freshman point guard Kiara Croskey.  Brown gathered in the rebound and scored the winning hoop with less than a second left.
 
The Patriots led by as many as six in the opening quarter before settling for a 16-11 advantage after 10 minutes.
 
In the second period, the margin swelled to 18-11 after a driving lay-up by Croskey.  FMU led 23-17 near the midway point of the quarter, but Chowan responded a 7-0 run to forge a 24-23 lead.  A pull-up jumper in the paint by Croskey just before the halftime horn tied the game at 29-29.
 
Francis Marion connected on 33.9 percent of its field goal attempts and was 22-of-26 at the foul line.  Chowan shot 42.9 percent from the floor and was 14-of-21 at the free throw stripe.