No. 4 Chowan, No. 7 Francis Marion Advance to Women’s Basketball Semifinals

3/4/2022 11:22:19 PM

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Seventh-ranked Francis Marion’s cinderella run continued and No. 4 Chowan earned a win to advance to the 2022 Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Semifinals at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford College.

In the first semifinal, Chowan got a near triple-double from Destiny Robinson in a 55-47 win over No. 8 Emmanuel. The Hawks scored the first six points of the contest and led 10-7 after one. Chowan led by as many as seven points in the second quarter, but a pair of runs by the Lions tied the score at 18. The Murfreesboro, North Carolina program responded with the final six points of the half for a 24-18 margin. A 14-2 run early in the third quarter put Emmanuel up 34-28, but Chowan closed the quarter on an 8-1 run to take a 36-35 lead with 10 minutes to play. The Franklin Springs, Georgia program used a 5-1 run to take a 40-37 lead with 6:33 to play, but Chowan outscored them 18-7 the rest of the way for the final margin.

Aniah Patterson led three Hawks in double figures with 14 while Robinson finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks. Demetria Bland added 11 for Chowan. The Lions offense was led by Sydney Wyatt with 14 points while Jeanetta Elder tallied 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

The Patriots of Francis Marion didn’t take their first lead until a Aniyah Oliver 3-pointer with 8:22 to play in the game en route to a 73-69 victory over No. 3 Belmont Abbey. It was a busy opening 10 minutes as the teams combined for 43 points with the Crusaders holding a 23-20 margin. The Abbey led by as many as nine points in the first half and led 39-34 at the break. A Jo Snow triple put the Belmont, North Carolina program ahead five, 50-45, at the 3:01 mark in the third before a 5-0 Patriots run tied the score at 50. The Crusaders led 52-50 with 10 minutes to play, but an 8-0 run by FMU gave them a 58-52 lead and they never trailed again in the win.

Scarlett Gilmore paced the Patriots with a team-high 21 points while Lauryn Taylor scored 17 and grabbed 16 rebounds. Kiana Lee (16) and Oliver (14) also scored in double figures. Brittany Autry poured in a game-high 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the loss for the Crusaders while Peyton Nation (12), Taylor Stelley (11) and Snow (10) each finished with double digit points.

Chowan will face top seeded Barton in the first women’s semifinal at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Saturday, March 5 at 5 p.m. Francis Marion will face No. 2 Mount Olive in the second women’s semifinal at 7:30 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.)
#4 Chowan def. #8 Emmanuel, 55-47
#7 Francis Marion def. #3 Belmont Abbey, 73-69

Semifinals – Saturday, March 5 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#4 Chowan vs. #1 Barton, 5 p.m.
#7 Francis Marion 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.