FLORENCE, S.C. – Host Francis Marion turned a one-point halftime deficit into a 16-point lead after three quarters and got 31 points from Abigail Bullock to dispatch the UNC Pembroke women's basketball team 82-63 on Wednesday evening at the Smith University Center in Florence.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: UNC Pembroke 63, Francis Marion 82
Records: UNC Pembroke (6-10, 4-8 PBC); Francis Marion (12-5, 9-3 PBC)
Location: Smith University Center
Series: Francis Marion leads 33-19
HOW IT HAPPENED
Box Score/Play-by-Play
FIRST QUARTER
-With the Braves up 14-12 and 2:28 to play in the quarter,
Melanie Horne came off the bench for the guests and proceeded to score eight points on 3-for-3 shooting, including a pair of treys, in the waning minutes of the period.
-Horne scored on the final three UNCP possessions of the stanza on a pair of dishes from
Tee Graham and one from
Aliyah Farmer to give the Black & Gold a 22-17 edge after one.
SECOND QUARTER
-A Horne long ball at the 7:52 mark followed by a jumper from the freshman with just over seven minutes to play gave the Braves their largest lead of the half at 29-23.
-The Patriots rallied with a 6-0 run to take a 38-35 lead with 1:47 to play, but UNCP scored the final six points of the half to haul a 39-38 lead into the locker rooms.
THIRD QUARTER
-Francis Marion got hot from deep coming out of the half and outscored the Braves 26-9 thanks to a 5-for-6 shooting performance from behind the arc.
-FMU's Khai Chandler exploded for 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting in the third quarter after scoring just four in the entire first half.
FOURTH QUARTER
-UNCP scored six-straight points in a 54-second span midway through the fourth to claw back within 13 at 69-56, but the Black & Gold could not get any closer as Francis Marion pulled away for the 82-63 victory.
NOTABLES
-The Patriots outscored the Braves by 20 points in the second half, including 18 from Chandler to give her 22 on the night.
-Francis Marion shot just under 58 percent (11-for-19) from long range in the game, including a 77.8-percent clip in the second half.
-Outside of the third quarter, the Braves shot 45.2 percent from the floor, but hit on just 20 percent (3-for-15) in the third period.
-Allen scored a team-best 17 points for the Black & Gold to give her double-digit points in 12-straight games, while Horne's 13 points were just three from her career high.
-FMU's Bullock poured in a career-high 34 points on 11-for-18 shooting, including a 6-for-9 clip from long range. The sophomore was 6-of-7 at the charity stripe.
-UNCP was looking to win three-straight road PBC games for just third time in program history and the first time since the 2006-07 campaign.
UP NEXT
The Braves make their lone trip to the Sunshine State this season for a Saturday matchup with Flagler to wrap up the current two-game road swing. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. on the front end of a women's-men's twinbill at the Flagler Gymnasium. The Saints (12-4, 10-2) coasted to a 71-58 victory over Columbus State on Wednesday to remain in the second slot in the PBC race. UNCP leads the all-time series 9-7 against Flagler, but is just 3-5 in St. Augustine.
