Singleton-Bates thrives in clutch situations

FLORENCE — It’s a role usually left to older players, but some might argue that Francis Marion guard Shannon Singleton-Bates isn’t a usual player.

She’s only a sophomore, but the Patriots have no problem putting the ball in her hands at the end of a game when they need a shot.

And if she continues to produce in those situations like she did in FMU’s season opener at Barton on Saturday, there’s no reason to think the formula will change.

Singleton-Bates hit a 10-foot jumper with 16 seconds left to give her team the lead, then stole an inbounds pass with five seconds remaining to help the Patriots hold on for a 68-66 win.

fmu (1-0) would like it if no last-minute heroics were needed in tonight’s home opener against St. Andrews Presbyterian.

But if they are, coach Heather Macy knows she has at least one player who wants the ball with the game on the line.

“It’s kind of a predetermined thing between her and me,” Macy said. “I want her to take that shot and she says she wants to take it.”

Singleton-Bates, who averaged 10 points per game as a freshman, was one of Macy’s first recruits at FMU.

“She was that kind of a kid in high school,” Macy said. “She was a very accomplished high school player and I was really excited to get her when I got the job here.”

Singleton-Bates’ approach? Bring it on.

She says she’s been the go-to player “on every team I’ve ever played on,” so why change now?

“I’ve always just worked hard in practice and every coach I had would push me sometimes harder than any other players,” said Singleton-Bates, who scored a team-high 18 points against Barton. “I just took on the role of being a leader.

“I guess this is the reason I came to Francis Marion. I just like to step up and do whatever it is I can to help my team win.”

The outcome of Saturday’s game was the good news for FMU. But predictably after just one game, there is plenty to work on.

Macy said she liked the fact that the Patriots didn’t play their best game and still won.

“I think our defense needs to get better and I think we need to run harder in transition,” Macy said. “It’s got to be every play, not just some of the time. Every play, every day, that’s how we look at it. We’ve just got to get more consistent.”

And that means not reacting emotionally, either positively or negatively, to what’s happening on the floor, whether passes and shots are on target or whether they’re not.

“They’re committed to that, but it takes time for them to emotionally learn to let that go and not react when things go good or when things go bad,” Macy said.
Against Barton, FMU committed 33 of the game’s 62 turnovers and shot only 31.9 percent.

“It was very important that we won the game to start the season, but it’s motivation for us,” Singleton-Bates said. “After that game, we knew we needed to get in the gym and work harder, keep our heads up and be competitive with one another.”

Notes
Everyone attending tonight’s game and wearing an FMU T-shirt will be admitted free. … Faculty, staff and Swamp Fox Club members are admitted free with their ID cards. … General admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students. … FMU leads the all-time series with St. Andrews (1-1) 8-1 and is 29-6 all-time in home openers, including 13-1 in the last 14.