ANDERSON, S.C. (Nov. 19) – After being held a season-low .246 field goal percentage, the Trojans suffered a 47-38 loss at Anderson in non-conference play on Saturday afternoon.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team drops to 0-3 this season with all losses against opponents from the South Atlantic Conference (SAC). Meanwhile, Anderson improves to 2-2 overall being picked third in the preseason SAC rankings.
Junior
Laila Harris collected her fourth career double-double after scoring 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds (four offensive) in 35 minutes of play. She totaled double-digit points in a pair of regular season contests this year while averaging 9.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Junior
Haleigh Crews also finished with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting with three steals in 35 minutes. Sophomore
Tiandria Tucker registered five points and six rebounds in 19 minutes of play.
Anderson established an early 11-3 advantage after making four-of-eight shots to start the contest. UMO knocked down a pair of three-pointers over a one-minute stretch to trail 16-9 with 3:13 left in the first. Both sides went scoreless over the final three-plus minutes to close the quarter. After the teams exchanged baskets for the majority of the second quarter, Mount Olive scored five-straight points to cut the deficit to 22-20 with 44 seconds left. Heading into the break, Anderson held a 23-20 advantage.
UMO tied the contest early in the third quarter at 27-27 with 7:11 left before both sides went scoreless for nearly three minutes. Anderson reclaimed the advantage on a jumper and continued to hold a narrow lead until Mount Olive tied the game at 34-34 with 2:30 remaining. In the fourth, UMO knotted the contest at 36-36 on a layup by Harris before Anderson closed out the game with an 11-2 run to claim the 47-38 victory on Saturday
UMO finished the game shooting 14-of-57 (24.6 percent) from the floor after converting 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Anderson shot at a 29.6 clip (16-of-54) and made just 3-of-14 (21.4) from three-point range. Anderson finished with a 48-38 rebounding advantage, while Mount Olive scored 18 points in the paint.
Sophomore Diamond McDowell finished with a double-double behind 11 points and 15 rebounds in 35 minutes, while senior Jalyn Spurlin posted 13 points and three rebounds in 26 minutes. Senior Britney Bailey registered nine points and 13 rebounds in 35 minutes of action.
UMO returns to play on Tuesday, Nov. 22, when it hosts its home-opener against UNC Pembroke in the conference action at Kornegay Arena, starting at 5 p.m.
