FLORENCE, SC – Sophomore guard Kiara Croskey scored 17 of her game-high 25 points in the first half as Francis Marion University built a 23-point lead and cruised to a 78-61 Senior Day win over North Greenville University, Saturday afternoon (Feb. 21) in Conference Carolinas women's basketball action.
 
Francis Marion improves to 18-8 and league-best 15-3 in conference play.  The Patriots will play a rescheduled home contest on Monday night at 5:30 p.m. against Southern Wesleyan University.  It was originally slated for Jan. 31, but postponed due to the winter storm that weekend.
 
Croskey connected on 10-of-13 field goal attempts and was 4-of-5 at the free throw stripe.  The Sumter native also registered six rebounds, four steals, and three assists.  Freshman center Mariana Moody tallied 15 points – one shy of her career high set in the last game – and six rebounds, while going 9-of-10 at the free throw line.
 
The Patriots hit six of their first eight shots, including a trio of three-pointers, and raced to a 19-7 lead with four minutes left in the opening quarter.  The margin remained in double figures for the remainder of the contest.  FMU led 26-15 at the end of the first period.
 
Croskey scored four buckets in a 12-0 run to open the second quarter as the Patriots assumed a 38-15 lead with 5:40 left in the first half.  The advantage was 40-17 before North Greenville closed the first half with a 13-6 spurt to trim the deficit to 16 points at halftime (46-30).
 
The Trailblazers got as close as 13 in the third quarter before 9-0 Francis Marion spurt stretched the lead to 22 points at 60-38 with 1:06 remaining in the period.  Junior guard Uriah Jennings contributed two baskets to the run.
 
The Patriots led by as many as 23 in the final quarter – 78-55 after a floater in transition by sophomore Terriana Gray – and were never seriously threatened.
 
FMU forced 19 turnovers and led 28-12 in points-off-turnovers. The Patriots also held a 38-24 edge in points in the paint.
 
Francis Marion shot 49.1 percent from the floor, including 6-of-14 from behind the three-point arc, and was 18-of-22 at the charity stripe.  North Greenville was held to 37.0 percent shooting and the Trailblazers made 17-of-21 free throws.
 
FMU honored two seniors prior to tip-off, guard Tyra Myers and forward Bentlee Chockley, both of whom are out with season-ending injuries.





                                   (L to R) senior Tyra Myers, head coach Jeri Porter, senior Bentlee Chockley