FLORENCE, S.C. – The King University women's basketball team battled against Francis Marion Saturday afternoon,, but the third quarter would prove to be the difference, as the Tornado dropped the Conference Carolinas matchup 79-58.
THE BASICS
FINAL: Francis Marion 79, King 58
LOCATION: Smith University Center; Florence, S.C.
RECORDS: King 4-11, 4-3 Conference Carolinas; Francis Marion 7-6, 5-2 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Period
- The Patriots took an early 6-2 lead, before Jaden Potts knocked down a three to make it 6-5 with 6:12 remaining.
- After Francis Marion stretched it to 8-5, Le'Aije Ellington drained a three of her own, tying the game at 8.
- A layup by Alexa Gramann gave the Tornado their first lead of the day, 10-8 with just over three minutes left.
- Francis Marion would tie the game at 10 before Tori Smiley hit a driving layup to put King back in front.
- After hitting a free throw, the Patriots drained a three to take a 14-12 lead, which quickly evaporated with Smiley knocking down a pair of free throws to tie the game at 14.
Second Period
- Smiley drew another foul on just the second possession of the quarter for the Tornado, then proceeded to make both free throws to hand King another lead.
- After tying the game on a layup, the Patriots got another layup with 8:38 left to take an 18-16 advantage.
- The teams traded buckets until the 4:45 mark, when the Patriots hit a layup to kickstart a 10-2 run, taking a 30-23 lead with just over two minutes left.
- Ellington would proceed to knock down a three with 1:46 left, which was followed by Jaelyn West and Smiley also hitting triples, tying the game at 32 and forcing a Francis Marion timeout.
- The Tornado had a chance to take a lead in the closing seconds, but the layup attempt didn't go in, and the game went into halftime tied at 32.
Third Period
- After both teams hit a couple of buckets early, the Patriots went on an 8-0 run to take a 44-36 lead with 4:59 to play.
- Michelle Gallegos dropped her first three of the game with 4:30 remaining, cutting the lead to 45-39.
- The Patriots would end the quarter on a 10-5 run, with Smiley knocking down a three and Gramann making a layup in the closing seconds to make the score 55-44 heading into the final quarter.
Fourth Period
- Francis Marion scored the first six points of the quarter before Gramann hit a pair of free throws.
- The Patriots would eventually stretch their lead to 67-48 with 6:39 left.
- After going almost two minutes with neither team hitting a bucket, McKinney knocked down a step back three to cut the Patriots lead to 67-51.
- After Smiley made a driving layup with 4:20 remaining, the Patriots would embark on a 7-2 run to extend their lead to 74-56 with 1:50 to play.
- Gramann made a layup with 24 seconds left, but the Patriots were able to take the win, 79-58.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Smiley led the Tornado with 17 points, marking the seventh time this season she has scored in double figures. Gramann added 13, along with nine rebounds.
- As a team, the Tornado shot 40.0% from beyond the arc, their third-best percentage of the season.
FOR THE FOES
- Lauryn Taylor led all scorers, scoring 23 points and pulling 15 rebounds. Jasmine Stanley (18 points) and Kiana Lee (11 points, 10 rebounds) also scored in double figures.
- Aniyah Oliver scored nine points and dished out seven assists.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado are back on the road Tuesdaty when they face North Greenville with tipoff scheduled for 5 p.m.
- Francis Marion will host Erskine Jan. 14 at 2 p.m.
