FLORENCE, SC –  Senior guard Jada Richards scored 14 of her team high 19 points in a first quarter that saw Francis Marion University score 31 points and the Patriots raced past Barton College for a 94-61 Conference Carolinas win on Wednesday evening (Feb. 5).
 
Francis Marion improves to 16-5 overall and 11-3 in conference action, and has won 28 of its last 30 home games.  The Patriots will host Lees-McRae College for Senior Day on Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
Richards connected on 6-of-9 shots, including 4-of-6 from behind the three-point arc, and was 3-of-3 at the foul line.  Senior forward Kiana Lee scored 17 points and junior Trinity Adams posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. 
 
FMU freshman point guard Kiara Croskey also registered a double-double with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, while handing out five assists and registering three steals. Senior guard Kennedi Simmons added 10 points off the bench and surpassed the 900-point mark for her career.
 
Graduate student Lauren Walker led Barton (11-11, 7-7) with 26 points, including five made three-pointers.
 
The Patriots sank a season-high equaling 13 three-pointers in only 29 attempts.  Six of those long-range makes came in the opening period.  After allowing the opening bucket, FMU scored 27 of the game's next 29 points to go ahead 27-4.  The margin was 31-13 when the quarter ended.
 
In the second period, Barton pulled to within 12 at 33-21, but Francis Marion responded with 13-2 spurt that included 11 points from Adams, to go up 46-23.  FMU had the Bulldogs doubled up at halftime 52-26.
 
FMU was never threatened in the second half, with the largest lead being 38 points on two occasions (76-38 and 78-40).
 
Francis Marion shot 44.1 percent from the floor and was 21-of-23 at the free throw line.  The Patriots held the Bulldogs to 35.8 percent shooting and Barton was 7-of-14 on free throws.