Tamara Nesmith scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, while the Mount Olive defense held Pfeiffer to 30 percent shooting as the Trojans pulled away in the second half for a 73-60 win Wednesday at Kornegay Arena. Nesmith scored half of her points early in the second half as the Trojans turned a two-point cushion into a 21-point lead.

Offensively, the Trojans (10-2 Conference Carolinas, 16-5 overall) dominated the paint, outscoring the Falcons, 34-12. Mount Olive benefited from 19 offensive rebounds. Andrea Jones finished with 19 points and six rebounds, while Jasmine McDonald hit 8-of-8 free throws and finished with 13 points. Jones and McDonald dished out six assists apiece.

On defense, the Trojans survived a three-point barrage from the Falcons in the early going. Brittany Cox, Shelley Reese and Kellie Rhoney each hit a pair of three-pointers in the first half. As a team, the Falcons (11-10, 6-6)  hit 7-of-17 from long range before intermission. Pfeiffer's first five field goals came from three-point range. As the game progressed, open shots became harder to come by. The Falcons built a 33-26 advantage with a 12-2 run late in the first half. During the three-minute stretch, the Trojans turned the ball over four times and three-pointers by Rhoney and Kaela Bellefeuil.

Mount Olive responded with an 8-0 run of its own to regain the lead. Ty Wallace's offensive rebound and layup with 10 seconds left gave the Trojans a lead they never gave up.

Mount Olive opened the second half with an 8-2 run to open the lead to 44-37. The Trojans' full court pressure finally started to pay-off early in the second half. The Trojans only forced seven turnovers after intermission, but they forced the Falcons into quick shots. Pfeiffer hit just 7-of-29 from the field in the second half. Most of Pfeiffer's offensive success came in the final five minutes as the Falcons tried to rally from a 21-point deficit.

Two free throws by Jasmine McDonald gave Mount Olive its biggest lead, 69-48, with 6:58 left. Pfeiffer did not go away. Three-pointers by Cox and Bellefeuil spurred a 10-0 run that made things uneasy for the Trojans.

Pfeiffer got as close as 69-60, but got no closer. Mount Olive held the Falcons to 7-for-29 shooting (24.7 percent) in the second half and 19-for-63 for the game.

Cox, who came into the game as the conference's leading scorer, finished with 18 points for Pfeiffer. Rhoney recorded a game-high six steals.

Mount Olive returns to action Saturday afternoon when Converse visits Kornegay Arena for a Conference Carolinas match-up. Tip-off is 2 p.m.