PEMBROKE, NC – Junior Uriah Jennings scored a career-high 25 points and sophomore guard Kiara Croskey converted a pair of three-point plays in the final three minutes as Francis Marion University held off UNC Pembroke for a 64-53 win, Wednesday night (Feb. 4) in Conference Carolinas women's basketball play.
 
Francis Marion captures its sixth consecutive victory and improves to 13-7 overall, 10-2 in conference play, and 7-0 in East Division competition.  The Patriots sweep the season series from the Braves and have now won four straight over their local rivals.
 
FMU will celebrate Homecoming on Saturday when the Patriots host Belmont Abbey College at 2 p.m.  Admission is free to everyone.
 
Jennings converted 11-of-20 field goal attempts en route to her best night as a collegiate player.  Croskey scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while sophomore forward Terriana Gray added 12 points and five assists – four of which came in the final nine minutes.  Freshman center Mariana Moody scored only two points but hauled down a game-high 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.
 
Shaymiah Bailey paced UNCP (8-11, 8-4) with 16 points.
 
Francis Marion scored the game's opening six points and never relinquished the lead.  A lay-in by Jennings stretched the margin to double figures for the first time at 12-2 midway through the first quarter.  Jennings then scored five points in a 7-0 Patriot run to end the period that resulted in a 23-9 advantage.
 
UNCP responded with a 12-2 spurt to open the second quarter as the Braves drew to within 25-21 after a base-line jumper by Camille Kerridge with 3:48 left before intermission.  A driving lay-up by Croskey, a three-pointer by sophomore guard Jordan Mintz, and a lay-in by Gray helped FMU expand its lead back to 32-24 at halftime.
 
The third quarter featured only a combined 23 points, but the Patriots held their lead despite the Braves pulling to within four points on one occasion.  The margin was 42-37 heading into the final quarter.
 
UNC Pembroke twice cut the deficit to three points in the fourth period, the final time at 48-45 after two free throws by Natalie Evington with 5:34 remaining.  Jennings answered with back-to-back buckets to up the margin to 52-45.  Croskey's first three-point play, a spinning lay-up, pushed the lead to 55-47.  Her second one, on a base-line hoop, put FMU up 60-51 with 44.7 seconds left on the clock. 
 
Francis Marion connected on 40.7 percent of its field goal attempts and was 15-of-18 at the free throw line.  The Patriots held UNCP to 37.9 percentage shooting and the Braves hit 8-of-12 charity tosses.