FLORENCE, S.C. – With both teams looking to get even in the Peach Belt Conference with a win, GRU Augusta's Joshlyn Belcher hit a three pointer with 39 seconds left in in regulation to force overtime at Francis Marion, but the Patriots sunk an overtime three with seven seconds remaining to steal a 75-73 league victory Monday night.

GRU Augusta (2-9, 1-3 PBC) got going when Joshlyn Belcher hit a jumper 30 seconds into the game off an assist from Kayla Roberts to open the scoring. The Patriots (4-8, 2-2 PBC) evened the contest three times in the opening minutes, but the Jaguars answered every time and went up by six at 15-9 after Sabrina Montgomery completed a three-point play.

The Pats got even at the 9:35 mark when am Alaysia Watts' jump shot made it 18-all. The comeback was completed on a Stephanie Brown free throw and FMU jumped to a seven-point lead eventually thanks to Brown's 10 first-half points. The Jags slowly closed the lead when Camille Gee made two at the line and hit a jumper, before a Tavia Sykes basket put the Jags back ahead.

Gee paced GRU with 19 points in the game, while Belcher added 11 points with seven assists and five rebounds. Kelsey Fynnardt added 11 and Kariel Hutt chipped in nine points, nine boards, and three steals.

Under a minute in the first half, FMU came back with a quick five points – capped off by two free throws from Brown. Brown was 8-for-8 at the charity strip in the opening half, while the Pats posted a 46.4 field-goal percentage to GRU's 39.3 to go into the break on top 40-35. Gee was also a perfect 4-for-4 at the free-throw line in the opening 20 minutes and led GRU with an early nine points, while the team was 9-for-12 at the free-throw line.

The Jags allowed 14 points off their 11 turnovers in the first half, but they recovered out of the whistle and steadily kept scoring with Gee taking over with help from Hutt and Fynnardt. Fynaardt hit a jumper to even the game at 43-43 and the Jags took an eventual eight-point advantage at the 8:54 mark on a Hutt layup.

FMU came back again and with 50 seconds left in the game when Cy'erra Mills made two free throws to take a three-point lead. Belcher came up huge for GRU with a three-pointer with 39 seconds left to tie the game and force overtime with a 64-64 score.

Gee knocked down two at the line to start overtime. FMU fired back with two deep baskets from Khayani Chandler, but Belcher snuck in another trey for GRU to keep the game close. Ahead by three, the Pats let Fynaardt get to the glass, before Gee hit another free throw to steal a one-point lead. Mills responded with the seventh FMU three pointer and after the Jags turned it over on an offensive foul, the Pats hung on to a 75-73 victory.

Chandler led all scorers with 24 points, going 3-for-3 at the three-point line. FMU outscored the Jags from the perimeter, but GRU owned a 45.1 field-goal percentage to FMU's 37.9 in a game that had 13 lead changes. It was the second overtime loss this season, after GRU started the year at Benedict with a 93-82 OT defeat.

The Jags host North Georgia for another Peach Belt game this Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 5:30 p.m. in Christenberry Fieldhouse. LIVE STATS /  LIVE VIDEO

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