FLORENCE – It took a long journey for the Francis Marion women to reach the Elite 8 in the Division II women’s basketball tournament.
Now they’re making an even longer journey hoping to stay alive.
The Patriots leave for Sioux Fallx, South Dakota Saturday. That’s where they’ll face Alaska-Anchorage Tuesday for a spot in the Final Four. It a big opportunity for a program that’s had some struggles the last few years. Their recent run has been a surprise even for first-year head coach Jeri Porter.
“We came in knowing that we had some work to do,” she said. “(We) felt like we had a good group of kids, a good nucleus. And so the goal this year was just to improve, to be a better basketball team than they were able to be last year and to work hard and to kind of lay a foundation.”
They exceeded those expectations even with just two seniors on the roster. The Patriots face Alaska-Anchorage Tuesday at 7 p.m.
