MOUNT OLIVE (Nov. 30) – Despite forcing a season-high 33 turnovers, the Trojans suffered an 81-72 loss versus Chowan in Conference Carolinas action on Wednesday night at Kornegay Arena.

With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team drops to 2-4 this season with a 1-1 mark in conference play. The Hawks have now won the last three meeting between the sides, while UMO boasts a 9-5 record in the series dating back to 2005. Meanwhile, Chowan improves to 4-2 overall with a 1-1 record in league action.

Freshman Laila Anderson led all scorers with a season-high 19 points on 6-of-14 from the floor, including four-of-six from beyond the arc. She also added six steals and two assists in 32 minutes off the bench. Anderson ranks second on the team this season with 9.7 points per game.

Junior Laila Harris registered 17 points on 7-of-18 shooting with four rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 38 minutes. Freshman Maleiya Hill tallied 14 points on four-of-seven from the field with three assists and five steals in 22 minutes, while sophomore Tiandria Tucker finished with eight points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in 27 minutes off the bench.

The Hawks made a perfect four-of-four from the field to begin the contest with a pair of three-pointers to hold a 10-4 lead. UMO answered by scoring three of the following four points to cut the deficit to 12-7 with 5:48 left in the first. Chowan countered with an 8-2 run to stretch the advantage to 20-9 before both teams traded buckets over the final two-plus minutes, as the Hawk held a 29-17 lead after the opening quarter. The Hawks converted a jumper to start the second before Mount Olive scored 10 unanswered points, led by Tucker with six points, to close the gap to 31-27 with 4:25 left before the break. Chowan responded by sinking five-of-five from the floor to take a 46-31 advantage into the halftime.

In the third quarter, the Trojans mounted a 9-2 run to trim the deficit to 48-40, but the Hawks answered by hitting four-of-five field goals to extend the advantage to 58-41. The teams exchanged baskets over the final three minutes of the quarter, as Chowan lead by a 65-49 margin. Just over midway through fourth quarter, UMO totaled nine-straight points to close the gap to 71-62 with just under three minutes left. The Hawks handled their business at the line converting 8-of-10 shots to claim an 81-72 win.

The Trojans finished the game shooting 32.9 percent (24-of-73) from the floor while converting 19-of-27 (70.4  percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Hawks shot at a 60.0 clip (30-of-50) from the field and made 17-of-23 (73.9 percent) from the charity stripe. Chowan finished with a 46-29 rebounding advantage and scored 46 points in the paint. UMO tallied 33 points off the bench and recorded 32 points off turnovers. The Trojans finished the contest with 33 turnovers forced which was the most by the team in game since the 2012-13 season.

The Hawks featured five players in double-figures, led by senior Demetria Bland with 16 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 29 minutes. Fellow senior Keibra Hopkins finished with 15 points on five-of-eight shooting with four rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in 28 minutes, while graduate student Destiny Robinson totaled 14 points, five rebounds, and three blocks in 27 minutes.

The Trojans return to action on Saturday, Dec. 3, when they travel to face Converse in league play at 2 p.m.