ROME, GA – Senior guard Kennedi Simmons scored 19 points, but it was her well-placed miss with 34 seconds left that may have been the key play as Francis Marion University captured a 68-63 road win over Shorter University, Monday night (Feb. 23) in Conference Carolinas women's basketball play.
 
Francis Marion (21-5, 16-3) reaches 21 wins for the first time since the 2015-16 squad went 24-9 and advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.  The Patriots will close out their regular season on Wednesday at North Greenville University with tip-off at 5 p.m.  The conference tournament seedings will be announced at the conclusion of play later that night.
 
With FMU clinging to a 67-63 lead inside the final minute, Simmons was able to get off an off-balanced left-handed three-point attempt as the shot clock expired.  The shot did hit the rim and caromed back to Simmons with the shot clock re-setting.  A few seconds later, freshman guard Kiara Croskey was fouled and she made one of two free throws to produce a five-point margin.  When Shorter misfired on a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, FMU rebounded and the outcome was sealed.
 
Senior Kiana Lee matched Simmons with 19 points and both players shot 7-for-15 from the field.  Simmons grabbed six rebounds, while Lee handed out three assists.  Junior Trinity Adams added 14 points and six rebounds.
 
Derrica McCall led Shorter (19-6, 14-5) with 18 points.
 
Francis Marion forced a pair of early Shorter turnovers and raced to a quick 7-0 lead.  The Hawks responded with their own 12-0 run to go ahead.  The two teams would trade the lead on several occasions before a lay-in by Amiya Redus with four seconds left put Shorter up 20-19 at the end of the first quarter.
 
The Patriots regained the advantage at 26-25 on a three-pointer by Simmons at the 6:05 mark of the second period.  Only one possession would separate the teams before FMU closed the first half with an 8-0 spurt to lead 39-31 at halftime.  Croskey accounted for the final hoop on a lay-up just before the buzzer.
 
A driving lay-in by senior Jada Richards upped the margin to 11 points at 48-37 with 6:33 remaining in the third quarter.  Shorter answered with a 10-1 run to draw within 49-47.  Lee and Simmons combined for a 6-0 spurt to end the period as FMU claimed a 55-47 advantage.
 
In the final quarter, the Hawks got within two points on four occasions, the final time at 64-62 with two and a half minutes left.  Simmons drained a three-pointer with 2:16 left to stretch the lead to 67-62.  Shorter's Tionna Baker make one of two free throws with just over a minute left to set the stage for the final minute.
 
Francis Marion connected on 43.5 percent of its field goal attempts, including 7-of-23 from behind the three-point arc, and was 7-of-10 at the foul line.  Shorter hit 45.0 percent of its shots, but was only 4-of-9 at the free throw stripe.