HICKORY, NC – Senior forward Lisa Jackson scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead third-seeded Clayton State University to an 89-73 win over fourth-seeded and 17th-ranked Francis Marion University, Monday night (March 16) in the finals (Sweet Sixteen) of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional women’s basketball tournament.
Clayton State (26-6) advances to its second Elite Eight in three years and will face the winner of the West Region (Seattle Pacific vs. Alaska-Anchorage) on Tuesday, March 24 at 3 p.m. (ET) in San Antonio, Texas.
Francis Marion, making its fifth Sweet Sixteen appearance in program history, ends its season with a 27-5 record, equaling the fifth-most wins in a season.
FMU junior guard Shana Franks paced the Patriots with 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Senior point guard Kevina Ransom tallied 12 points and six assists, while senior guard Jennifer Dyer added 11 points and sophomore Shannon Singleton-Bates 10.
Both Ransom and Singleton-Bates were named to the All-Tournament Team. Ransom ends her two-year career at FMU third on the school’s steals list (289) and eighth on the assists list (347).
Tournament Most Outstanding Player Marie St. Fort scored 16 points for the Lakers, while Shanrika Hardeman and Lesheria Stevens each scored 18 points. Hardeman hauled down a game-high 14 rebounds.
Francis Marion opened the game with a fast start, leading 16-8 after a three-pointer by Franks with 15:41 left in the first half. However, Clayton State responded with a 12-2 spurt to take a 20-18 advantage.
A stick-back basket by Robin Colbert put FMU ahead 21-20 at the 12:06 mark, but the Lakers then scored 15 of the game’s next 21 points to lead 35-27. A layup by Creshenda Singletary cut the deficit to 35-29, but Clayton State ran off nine straight points to lead 44-29.
A three-pointer by Eboni Fields in the final 16 seconds trimmed the margin to 50-38 as the teams left the floor at intermission. Clayton State converted 17 FMU miscues into 22 points during the opening 20 minutes.
Clayton State opened the second stanza with eight straight points to lead by 20 (58-38). The margin grew to 62-39 following a follow-shot by Hardeman with 16:54 remaining. A brief 9-2 Francis Marion outburst brought the Patriots to within 64-48.
However, the Lakers responded with a 12-5 run that restored the advantage to 23 points (76-53) near the midway point of the half. Francis Marion, pressing full court, had one last flurry. A 16-1 spurt by the Patriots, including six points from Dyer and five from Ransom, cut the deficit to eight, at 77-69 with 3:15 left.
On the ensuing possession, Stevens hit the biggest shot of the final half – a three-pointer from the right wing that pushed the margin back to 11 points.
Second-year FMU head coach Heather Macy said the first half was the key to contest. “I don’t know if it was nerves or what, but by the time we steadied ourselves we had already dug a hole. We just didn’t handle the ball well in the opening 20 minutes.
“We got stops during our late rally, but in a regional final you have to play 40 minutes.”
“Clayton is an experienced squad, has been here before, and it showed. We wish them the best of luck at the Elite Eight.”
Commenting on her six seniors, Macy said “These young ladies came in and helped turn around the program. They have been warriors over the past two years, posted a 48-14 record, and helped us turn the corner.”
The Patriots shot only 37.8 percent from the floor, including 4-of-18 from behind the three-point arc. Clayton State shot 50 percent in the opening half and ended the game at 46.6 percent.
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