FMU Fields its ways to 94-61 Homecoming win

FLORENCE, SC – Junior guard Eboni Fields scored 17 of her team-high 22 points in the first half to help guide 15th-ranked Francis Marion University to a 94-61 win over Columbus State University, Saturday afternoon (Feb. 14) in Peach Belt Conference women’s basketball action.

Francis Marion (21-1, 14-1) wins its 12th consecutive game, equaling the fifth-longest streak in team history and the longest for a Patriot squad since the 1998-99 squad won 17 straight. The margin of victory was the largest ever for the Patriots over the Cougars in the storied 40-game series. FMU also widens its lead in the PBC standings to two full games as second-place Clayton State University was idle on Saturday and third-place GCSU lost.

Following Fields was senior guard Jennifer Dyer with 18 points, 15 of which came after halftime. Senior point guard Kevina Ransom continued her stellar play with 16 points, eight steals, and six assists in only 22 minutes of action. Her thefts pushed her past two former Patriot stars (Lisa Waldrop and Mary Jackson) and into fifth place on the team’s all-time steals list with 243.

Junior guard Shana Franks added 12 points to the Patriot attack, which continues to lead the nation in scoring offense.

Junior 6-0 forward Phebe Smith paced Columbus State (13-12, 6-9) with 24 points, on 10-of-16 shooting, and nine rebounds. Junior forward Hali Moore tallied 11 points and eight rebounds, while freshman guard Nikki Urbizo added 11 points and eight assists.

Fields came off the bench to hit on 4-of-9 three-pointers in the opening half as the Patriots overcame a slow start. CSU scored the game’s first seven points before FMU rallied to tie the game at 8-8 on a steal and layup by Ransom.

CSU took its final lead of the game at 12-11 on a layup by Smith with 12:49 left in the opening stanza. A 9-0 run, that included five points from Fields, put FMU up 20-12. After CSU closed to within 22-19 with seven minutes left before halftime, Francis Marion responded with a 15-5 burst that included four three-pointers by three different players and produced a 37-24 advantage. Two more triples, by Fields and Shannon Singleton-Bates, allowed FMU to leave the floor at halftime with a 45-28 lead.

A three-pointer by Dyer to open the second half pushed the margin to 20 points, and the lead would not dip under that mark for the rest of the contest. Altogether, FMU hit 7-of-11 three-point attempts over a 6:33 span that began in the first half and carried over into the second stanza.

FMU’s largest lead came at 86-44 following a three-pointer by Fields with 6:21 remaining in the contest.

The Patriot defense forced 36 Cougar turnovers that were converted into 62 points. Twelve different Patriots scored before a Homecoming crowd of 1,152.

Francis Marion plays at Lander University on Monday at 5:30 p.m., while CSU hosts Georgia College & State University also on Monday at 5:30 p.m.