FRANKLIN SPRING, Ga. (Jan. 14) – The Trojans were outscored by 20 points in the second half in a 73-56 loss against Emmanuel on the road in Conference Carolinas play on Saturday afternoon.
  
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team drops to 9-8 overall with a 5-4 mark in conference action. The two teams split the season series after the initial contest on Dec. 14 went to double overtime. Meanwhile, Emmanuel stretches its winning streak to four straight and improves to 7-5 this season with a 6-2 record in league play.

Freshman Laila Anderson led the team in scoring for a consecutive game with 13 points on 6-of-12 from the floor in 26 minutes. The Burlington School product has been a spark off the bench this season with nine games in double-figures and continues to rank second on the team in scoring.

Junior Reagan Hune finished 10 points on five-of-nine shooting with four rebounds and one steal in 29 minutes. Freshman Maleiya Hill registered nine points on 4-of-10 attempts, while junior Haleigh Crews posted seven points, three rebounds, one steal, and one block in 32 minutes.

In the first, Crews converted a three-pointer at the 8:49 mark to give UMO an advantage before the Lions answered with five unanswered points to take a 5-3 lead. The game would be tied five times over the next five-plus minutes before freshman Dominique Pacheco hit a floating jump shot to give Mount Olive a 15-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Trojans opened the next quarter with a 10-0 run, led by Anderson with six points, to extend the advantage to 25-13 with 7:32 left. Emmanuel countered with a massive three-pointer as part of a 7-2 rally to trim the deficit to 27-20. UMO stretched the lead to double figures with over three minutes to go, but the Lions closed the half with a 10-3 run, as the Trojans held a 34-31 lead at the break.

The Lions wasted little time in the second half tying the game at 39-39 at the 7:07 mark before mounting an 11-2 run to gain a 50-41 advantage. Hune answered with a jumper with under three minutes left before Emmanuel made the only shot over the last two minutes to hold a 52-43 lead at the end of the third. The Lions scored six of the initial eight points of the fourth quarter to extend the advantage to 58-45 with 6:42 remaining. Mount Olive made its next three shots to close the gap to single digits, 60-51, but Emmanuel responded with a three-pointer, 63-51. The Lions converted a perfect eight-of-eight from the free-throw line to secure the 73-56 win.

The Trojans finished the game shooting 39.4 percent (26-of-66) from the floor while converting 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) from the three-point range. Meanwhile, the Lions shot at a 48.0 clip (24-of-50) from the field and made 22-of-26 (84.6 percent) from the free-throw line. Emmanuel finished with a significant 43-18 rebounding advantage and scored 32 points in the paint, while UMO tallied 25 points off the bench.

Junior Sydney Wyatt registered a game-high 24 points on 7-of-11 shots while making 9-of-11 from the charity stripe in 39 minutes of action. Senior Jazmin Allen finished with a double-double behind 18 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and one block in 35 minutes. Fellow senior Jeanetta Elder also posted a double-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks over 35 minutes.

Mount Olive continues Conference Carolinas action on Monday, Jan. 16, when its hosts Converse on Parks & Rec Day at 2 p.m.