FLORENCE, S.C. – Francis Marion forced 21 turnovers and converted those into 32 points while also shooting nearly 44-percent from the field to secure a 80-58 victory over the UNC Pembroke women's basketball team on Monday evening at the University Smith Center.
 
The setback for the Braves (3-12, 3-11 PBC) marks the sixth straight loss to the Patriots in Florence, S.C. The Patriots (2-11, 2-9 PBC) have now won the last three meetings against the Braves. 







 

THE BASICS

SCORE: Francis Marion 80, UNC Pembroke 58 RECORDS: UNC Pembroke (3-12, 3-11 PBC) Francis Marion (2-11, 2-9 PBC) LOCATION: Smith University Center (Florence, S.C.)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Gabby Smith's layup three minutes into action cut the deficit for UNC Pembroke back to 7-4. Francis Marion used a 6-0 scoring surge to push its lead out to 13-4, before two made free throws from Aaliyah Bell broke the silence for UNCP with 2:45 left in the quarter. The hosts shot 42-percent in the stanza and held a 20-10 lead heading into the second quarter.

2ND QUARTER

Jasmine Stanley's jumper in the paint put the Patriots in front 29-14 halfway through the period. The Braves responded with back-to-back jumpers from Naomi Gilbert and Courtney Smith to trim the deficit back to 29-18 at the two-minute mark. Kelci Adams drained a three with 30 seconds left followed by a layup from Alcenia Purnell as the clock expired to send the teams to the locker rooms with Francis Marion holding a 33-23 advantage.

3RD QUARTER

Alcenia Purnell's trey 4:15 minutes into the half cut the deficit for the UNCP back to 43-31. Francis Marion responded with two made free throws and a three of their own to push the lead back out to 48-31. The hosts connected on 7-for-10 attempts from the charity stripe and held a hefty 57-37 lead heading into the final quarter.

4TH QUARTER

Kelly Luck's old-fashioned three-point play with 3:20 whittled the deficit back to 68-50 for the Braves. The Patriots took their largest lead of the night 77-50, with a running layup from Ravyn Madaris with 1:37 remaining to secure the outcome.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Gabby Smith scored a team-high 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds in 20 minutes of action. Smith scored in double-figures on 11 different occasions. + Aaliyah Bell scored a career-high 11 points highlighted by a 3-for-3 clip from the perimeter.  + Alcenia Purnell added 10 points and three assists. Purnell also had one steal.

NOTABLES

+ The Black & Gold connected on 6-for-16 (37%) of shots from the 3-point line. Francis Marion was limted to 32-percent from beyond the arc, but attempted 15 more shots from deep than UNCP. + Francis Marion forced 21 UNC Pembroke turnovers and converted those into 32 points. + The Braves shot better than 40-percent in the final two quarters of action.

UP NEXT

Season complete.

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Fans can help support the UNC Pembroke Women's Basketball program by joining the Braves Club. To find out more information about the Braves Club, visit UNCPBraves.com/BravesClub or email braves.club@uncp.edu.