MOUNT OLIVE (Dec. 19) – Facing a nationally-ranked opponent, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team struggled with a late game surge and ultimately fell by a 77-60 margin versus No. 15 Lenoir-Rhyne on Monday afternoon in non-conference play at Kornegay Arena.

With the loss, the Trojans drop to 6-6 this season behind a 5-2 record on their home court. It marks just the third meeting between the schools dating back to 1992, as the Bears hold a 3-0 record in the series. Meanwhile, Lenoir-Rhyne remains undefeated this season at 13-0 overall with a 6-0 mark against Conference Carolinas programs.

Junior Haleigh Crews paced the team with 14 points on 6-of-15 shots in 33 minutes. Fellow junior Laila Harris registered 11 points on five-of-eight from the floor with three rebounds and one steal in 29 minutes. Teammate Reagan Hune produced 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting with two rebounds, two assists, and three blocks in 26 minutes off the bench.

The Bears scored the opening basket on a layup before the Trojans answered with a 10-2 run on four-of-five from the field to take a 10-4 lead with 6:03 left in the first. Lenoir-Rhyne responded with seven-straight points in just over a minute to regain the lead 11-10 before both sides exchanged baskets down the stretch of the first. UMO converted a jumper in the closing seconds to hold a 22-20 advantage after one quarter. The Bears managed to reclaim the lead in the second with six-consecutive points as both teams struggled to field in the initial four minutes. Lenoir-Rhyne held a 31-26 lead before Mount Olive scored six of the final eight points of the quarter to trail 33-32 at the break.

In the third quarter, the Trojans battled for the lead over seven minutes with the Bears managing to remain ahead by at least a point. Mount Olive finally took the advantage with an 8-0 run with four points from Harris and senior Makayla Kimble to hold a 52-48 lead with 1:03 left in the quarter. UMO knocked down three buckets to start the fourth to build the advantage to 58-52 with 8:03 remaining in the game. Lenoir-Rhyne countered with a 25-2 run over the final eight minutes and made 10-of-12 from the floor. The Bears forced five turnovers during the stretch while holding Mount Olive to four shooting attempts to secure a 77-60 victory on the road.

The Trojans finished the game shooting 46.4 percent (29-of-56) from the floor while converting 8-of-10 (80.0 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Bears shot at a 43.1 clip (28-of-65) from the field and made 17-of-21 (81.0 percent) from the charity stripe. Lenoir-Rhyne finished with a 41-24 rebounding advantage and scored 29 points off the bench. UMO tallied 38 points in the paint and 14 fast break points.

Junior Blaikley Crooks totaled 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting with six rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes, while senior Brandi Hudson also registered 15 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench. Graduate student Hannah Stull finished with 14 points, four rebounds, one block, and one assist in 25 minutes on Monday.

The Trojans will be idle for nearly two weeks over the holiday break before returning home for a contest against USC Aiken in non-conference action at Kornegay Arena, starting at 1 p.m.