Box Score AIKEN, SC--Francis Marion (9-5, 3-2 PBC) shot 53.2 percent from the field to edge past the USC Aiken Lady Pacers (10-6, 2-3 PBC) 70-63 in women's Peach Belt Conference basketball on Wednesday night at "The Courthouse" in Aiken, S.C. The win snapped two streaks for the Patriots, a four-game skid to the Lady Pacers and a 16-game road conference losing streak dating back to Jan. 30, 2002. 

Joanna Tincher's lay-up six seconds into the game gave Francis Marion the early 2-0 lead, one they would hold for the entire opening stanza. Tincher led the Patriots with 21 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting. 

After trailing 28-25 at the break, Sarah Kendrick's three-pointer to open the second half knotted the game up for the first time at 28-28. Kasey Mills' lay-up with 17:26 to play gave USCA its first lead of the game 30-29. Kendrick and Mills both scored 16 points to pace USCA. They were a combined 11-of-23 from the field including 7-of-14 from deep. The rest of the Lady Pacers shot a dismal 13-of-45 (28.9 percent) and were just 1-of-14 from long range (7.1 percent). 

FMU worked quickly to build a 45-35 lead on a Tincher bucket with 11:51 remaining. Still trailing by double digits, the Lady Pacers started a slow, but steady comeback with 8:45 to play. Erica Larsen's jumper at 6:09 sliced the margin to 49-46, but that was as close as USCA would get. A pair of Danielle Moore jumpers sandwiched a Tincher lay-up to push the bulge back to 57-49 with 3:21 to play. 

Mills' trey with 9.9 remaining cut it back to 68-63, but a pair of Jennifer Howard charity tosses set the final margin at 70-63. 

Larsen added 11 points and three assists in 31 minutes for USCA while Benazura Serbecic recorded the first double double of the season by a Lady Pacer with 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Katie Mitchell chipped in eight points off the bench. 

Moore scored eight points and pulled down six boards for FMU while Howard finished with 11 points. 

Francis Marion darted to an 8-2 lead to open the game while the Lady Pacers were cold from the field, hitting just one of their first seven shots. A Howard triple at 11:44 gave the Patriots their largest first half lead at 15-7.

FMU connected on 25-of-47 shots from the field (53.2 percent) including 3-of-5 from deep (60.0 percent) and 17-of-20 at the line (85.0 percent). 

USCA shot 35.3 percent (24-of-68) and were just 8-of-28 from downtown for 28.6 percent. The Lady Pacers did win the battle of the boards 35-30 and forced two more turnovers than they committed (15-13). 

The loss is just the fourth in the past 34 games for the Lady Pacers versus PBC North Division opponents over the last four years. 

USC Aiken will travel to Milledgeville, Ga. on Saturday, January 24 to face 15th ranked Georgia College & State University at 5:30 PM. Francis Marion returns home to Florence, S.C. to host sixth-ranked North Florida also on Saturday at 2:00 PM. 

SCORING:
Francis Marion (70): Joanna Tincher 21, Danielle Moore 13, Jennifer Howard 11, Michelle Ghere 8, Velvet Dotson 8, Courtenay Etheredge 5, Nikki Jerome 2, Marta Losonczy 2.

USC Aiken (63): Sarah Kendrick 16, Kasey Mills 16, Erica Larsen 11, Benazura Serbecic 10, Katie Mitchell 8, Lana Mandic 2.
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