MOUNT OLIVE (Nov. 26) – After scoring 33 points off a season-high 24 forced turnovers, the Trojans claimed a 74-48 win over Livingstone on Saturday afternoon in non-conference play at Kornegay Arena.

With the win, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team improves to 2-3 this season and remains undefeated at home. In their last two meetings, the Trojans have secured a pair of victories by double-figures over the Blue Bears. Meanwhile, Livingstone drops to 2-3 overall after entering the contest with consecutive wins.

Junior Laila Harris recorded a dominant performance on Saturday after leading all scorers with 16 points on 8-of-13 from the field. She also added five rebounds, three assists, four steals, and two blocks in 29 minutes. The New Jersey native has paced the team in scoring in three-straight games and is averaging 11.6 points per game.

Sophomore Kaia Simpson posted career-highs with 15 points and nine rebounds in 19 minutes against the Blue Bears. Senior Makayla Kimble finished with 12 points on four-of-six shooting with two rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 24 minutes. Junior Reagan Hune and sophomore Taylor Haynes each totaled 10 points, respectively, in the win.

Mount Olive scored six-straight points to begin the contest before Livingstone made its opening basket nearly three minutes into the game. After a two-minute scoreless drought, the Trojans went on a 10-0 run on four-of-five shooting, led by Harris with six points, to take a 16-2 advantage with 3:12 left in the first. Both teams exchanged buckets over the final minutes of the quarter, as UMO held a 20-8 lead. In the second, Mount Olive opened the quarter with 10 unanswered points to stretch the advantage to 30-10 with 6:54 remaining. The Blue Bears responded with seven-consecutive points before the Trojans mounted a 15-4 run to extend the lead to 45-19 in the final minute of the half. Livingstone notched back-to-back layups to finish the quarter trailing 45-23 at halftime.

The Blue Bears nailed a three-pointer to start the third before UMO held a 57-27 advantage following a 12-1 run with Hune totaling seven points over the five-plus minute stretch. Livingstone closed the third by scoring five of the final seven points, as Mount Olive led 59-32 at the end of the quarter. The Trojans established largest-lead of the game at 31 points early in the fourth, following a pair of free-throws to take a 63-32 advantage. The Blue Bears countered with a 13-4 rally on 6-of-13 shooting to trim the deficit to 67-45 with 3:21 left in the game. Mount Olive secured the win after converting five-of-seven from the line over the final minutes of the contest.

UMO finished the game shooting 27-of-61 (44.3 percent) from the floor after converting 16-of-23 (69.9 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Livingstone shot at a 28.4 clip (19-of-67) and made just 2-of-18 (11.1) from beyond the arc. The Blue Bears finished with a 47-39 rebounding advantage, while the Trojans scored 32 points in the paint and tallied a season-high 20 assists.

Freshman Ny'Asia Green registered a team-high 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting with four rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes. Senior Alexis Lake tallied seven points and four rebounds in 20 minutes, while junior Varvara Papakonstantinou collected a game-high 11 rebounds in the loss.

UMO returns to play on Wednesday, Nov. 30, when they host Chowan in Conference Carolinas action, starting at 5 p.m.