No. 7 Francis Marion, No. 8 Emmanuel Advance to Women’s Basketball Quarterfinals in Spartanburg

2/28/2022 8:46:45 PM

BRISTOL, Tenn./PEMBROKE, N.C. – The 2022 Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Championship final six is set as No. 7 Francis Marion and No. 8 Emmanuel both pulled upsets in the second round to advance to the quarterfinals on Friday.

In Pembroke, North Carolina, Emmanuel upset the host and fifth-seeded Braves of UNC Pembroke 69-67 on a final second field goal. The Lions held a 67-64 lead with 30 seconds to play following a pair of Lexi Sengkhammee free throws before Tiara Williams sank a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left to tie the game. With one second remaining, Sydney Wyatt converted a layup for the Lions to give them the upset victory. UNCP led by five, 21-16, following the first quarter but saw the lead trimmed to two, 33-31, at the break. A strong third gave the Lions a 54-49 advantage and they ultimately held on for the win.

Jeanetta Elder paced Emmanuel with 20 points and nine rebounds while Wyatt finished with 18 and Jazmin Allen added 17 points and nine boards. Alcenia Purnell paced the Braves with a game-high 25 points while Zaria Clark added 12 points and six rebounds.

In Bristol, Tennessee the Patriots of Francis Marion controlled the game early and won the first three quarters, 64-55. It was a different fourth as King used 9-1 run to start the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to one, 67-66, and tied the score at 82 on a Brianna Dunbar layup with 1:56 to play. A Lauryn Taylor 3-pointer put the Patriots back in front and Kianna Lee knocked down a pull-up jumper following a pair of King free throws for the final margin.

Scarlett Gilmore led all scorers with 28 points for FMU while four others finished in double figures, led by Taylor who scored 19 while Lee led the team with eight rounds and added 15 points. King also saw four players in double digits led by Dunbar’s 20. Trinity Lee added 16 while Alexa Gramann led the team in rebounds with six to go with 10 points.

Emmanuel will face fourth-seeded Chowan in the first women’s quarterfinal at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Friday, March 4 at 6 p.m. Francis Marion will face No. 3 Belmont Abbey in the second women’s quarterfinal on March 4 at 8:30 p.m.

Fans can watch every game of the tournament live via the Conference Carolinas Digital Network and BlueFrame at conferencecarolinasdn.com. Information regarding the championship schedule, bracket and Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium are available here.

2022 Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Championship
First Round – Sunday, February 27
#7 Francis Marion defeated #10 North Greenville at King, 76-63
#8 Emmanuel defeated #9 Lees-McRae at UNC Pembroke, 72-57

Second Round – Monday, February 28
#7 Francis Marion defeats #6 King, 87-84
#8 Emmanuel defeats #5 UNC Pembroke, 69-67

Quarterfinals – Friday, March 4 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#8 Emmanuel vs. #4 Chowan, 6 p.m.
#7 Francis Marion vs. #3 Belmont Abbey, 8:30 p.m.

Semifinals – Saturday, March 5 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of #4-#5-#8-#9 vs. #1 Barton, 5 p.m.
Winner of #3-#6-#7-#10 vs. #2 Mount Olive, 7:30 p.m.

Final – Sunday, March 6 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2, 4 p.m.