FLORENCE, SC – For the fifth time this season and the second week in a row, Francis Marion University junior center Lauryn Taylor has been selected as the Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, this time for the period of Jan. 30-Feb. 5.  FMU sophomore center Jonah Pierce has been named the Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Week for the same period.

Taylor, a 5-11 native of Blythewood, S.C., averaged 19.0 points and 12.0 rebounds in two wins last week as the Patriots ran their winning streak to 13 games – the fifth longest in length in program history.  She connected on 48.0 percent of her field goal attempts, including 3-for-6 from behind the three-point arc, and was 11-of-14 from the foul line.  During the week, she became the 30th Patriot to reach 1000 career points, and now has 1,034.  She also recorded three blocks and two steals, while playing 74 of 80 minutes.

On Wednesday of last week, she tallied 16 points and 14 rebounds in a road win at Chowan University, and on Saturday registered 22 points and 10 rebounds in come-from-behind road win at 20th-ranked Belmont Abbey College.

Taylor shares the top scoring honors in the conference (17.4 ppg) and is ranked third in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and field goal percentage (45.7%), eighth in minutes played (32.9 mpg), 15th in three-pointers made per contest (1.3), 16th in free throw percentage (71.0%), and 22nd in blocked shots per game (0.4 apg).

She was a second-team All-Conference and All-Region selection last season.

The 15-6 Patriots will play at North Greenville University on Tuesday at 5 p.m., before returning home to entertain Emmanuel College on Saturday at 2 p.m.  FMU is ranked seventh in this week’s D2SIDA Southeast Region poll.

Taylor is a graduate of Spring Valley High School and is majoring in psychology.

Pierce, a 6-8 native of Sanford, Fla., averaged 14.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in two contests last week, while handing out four assists and blocking two shots.

Among the conference leaders, Pierce ranks first in rebounding (10.4 rpg), second in field goal accuracy (63.5%), fifth in blocked shots per game (1.4), and seventh in scoring (15.7 ppg).

This is the second time this season and fourth time in his career, Pierce has earned the weekly defensive award.

Francis Marion (13-8, 10-5) is fifth in the conference standings and listed among the other teams receiving votes in this week’s D2SIDA Southeast Region poll.  Like the women, the FMU men will play at North Greenville on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and will host Emmanuel on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Pierce is a graduate of Seminole High School and is majoring in nursing.