Women’s Hoops near Top 10; FMU hosts ASU on Wednesday

By Michael G. Hawkins

FLORENCE, S.C. – The Francis Marion University women’s basketball team moved up four spots to 11th in this week’s USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25. Both FMU basketball teams will play host to Augusta State University for a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader on Wednesday (Feb. 18) evening.
The women’s game will tip-off at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men’s game at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students.

The women’s contest will be joined in progress at 7 p.m. on WWFN-FM 100.1 The Fan, and the men’s game will be aired in its entirety.

The Francis Marion women (22-1, 15-1) have won their last 13 games, fifth-longest streak in team history, and maintain a two-game lead in the PBC standings. The No. 11 ranking is the highest for the program since the Patriots were ranked 10th in the final poll of the 2000-01 season.

Francis Marion edged Augusta State 93-90 last month on the road. ASU (5-18, 3-13) has lost six straight games. FMU leads the all-time series 20-16.

The FMU men (15-8, 8-8) will entertain a nationally ranked opponent for the second time this month. The 19-4 ASU men are ranked No.6 this week and share the PBC lead with a 13-3 conference mark. Francis Marion is in fifth place.

Francis Marion trails in the all-time series 29-9 including a 75-54 loss earlier this season in Augusta.

On Saturday, the Patriot men will travel to 25th-ranked Georgia College & State University.