Patriots win 11th straight, 75-58 at UNCP

PEMBROKE, NC – Junior guard Eboni Fields came off the Francis Marion University bench to hit four three-pointers en route to a game-high 17 points as the 15th-ranked Patriots defeated UNC Pembroke 75-58, Wednesday evening (Feb. 11) in Peach Belt Conference women’s basketball action.

Francis Marion improves to 20-1 overall with its 11th straight victory, and the Patriots maintain their lead in the PBC standings with a 13-1 conference mark. FMU also learned Wednesday that it now sits atop the most recent NCAA Division II Southeast Regional poll. It is only the third time in the storied history of the program that the Patriots have won 20 of their first 21 games in a season.

Fields hit her first four three-point attempts. Sophomore Shannon Singleton-Bates added 14 points, while senior point guard Kevina Ransom tallied 11 points and five steals and senior Creshenda Singletary added 10 points.

JaToya Kemp led UNCP (10-12, 6-9) with a perfect double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Natalie Ray added 11 points and 11 rebounds.

FMU trailed only once, at 2-0 after a game-opening basket by Kemp. The Patriots then rattled off 12 straight points to go up 12-2. Francis Marion led by as many as 14 points – 30-16 after a free throw by Singletary at the 3:37 mark – before settling for a 34-22 halftime advantage.

Only twice in the second half did the Braves cut the margin under double figures, both times at nine points. A pair of free throws by Shana Franks late in the contest gave Francis Marion its largest lead at 75-54.

The Patriot defense forced 30 UNCP turnovers and converted them into 34 points. FMU also enjoyed an advantage at the foul line by making 23 of 33 attempts, while the Braves were only 16 of 29.

FMU will host Columbus State University for Homecoming on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on WWFN-FM, 100.1 The Fan.

By Michael G. Hawkins