RALEIGH, N.C. (Nov. 11) – Despite leading after the initial three quarters of the contest, the Trojans were outscored by nine points over the final 10 minutes in a 57-52 loss at Saint Augustine's on Saturday afternoon in non-conference action.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team drops to 0-1 to begin the season after being picked sixth in the preseason Conference Carolinas poll. It marked the first meeting between the sides since 2019 and the Falcons earned their second win in the series dating back to 2011. Meanwhile, Saint Augustine's improves to 1-0 overall after being voted to finish 13th in the preseason Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) poll.
Sophomore
Laila Anderson finished with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-22 shooting with a trio of three pointers. She also recorded eight steals and two rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. Anderson registered six 20-point performances last season and received Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year honors.
Senior
Reagan Hune finished with nine points, four rebounds, three assists, and four steals in 37 minutes of action. Junior Tia Tucker tallied eight points, five rebounds, and one assist in 23 minutes. Junior transfer
Kamania Griffin matched a game-high with seven rebounds while contributing three points in 36 minutes.
In the first quarter, Anderson scored the opening five points of the game to put UMO ahead by a 5-0 margin. The Falcons answered with a three-pointer and jumper to cut into the deficit before the Trojans tallied seven of the next 11 points to stretch the lead to 15-9 with 2:25 left in the quarter. St. Augustine's found success at the free-throw line in the final minutes to close the gap to 17-14. The Falcons quickly tied the contest at 17-17 early in the second quarter before both sides went scoreless for nearly two minutes. St. Augustine's grabbed the lead on a layup as part of a 7-2 run to take the lead 24-19 with 5:24 remaining. Mount Olive answered back with a 14-2 rally to finish the second quarter, led by Anderson with 10 points, to hold a 33-26 lead at the break.
Hune nailed a jumper in the opening minutes of the third to stretch the lead to 35-26 before neither team scored for over three minutes. The Falcons made a layup with 5:31 left to end the scoreless drought before slowly working the deficit down to 38-36 on a perfect four-of-four shooting. Mount Olive scored seven of the following 10 points to hold a 45-39 advantage before St. Augustine's made a pair from the line to trail 45-41 with one quarter remaining. The Trojans extended the lead to 49-41 early in the fourth before the Falcons scored five straight points to trim the deficit to 49-46 with 4:48 left. UMO maintained the lead behind three-of-four shooting from the charity stripe before St. Augustine's scored nine unanswered points to complete the comeback victory at home, 57-52.
UMO finished the contest shooting 30.5 percent (18-of-59) from the floor while converting 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, St. Augustine's posted a .362 field goal percentage (17-of-47) and made 20-of-28 (71.4 percent) from the charity stripe. The Falcons finished with a 41-28 rebounding advantage with 28 points in the paint, while the Trojans tallied 18 points off 29 forced turnovers.
Sophomore Jamiah Richardson finished with 14 points on four-of-eight shooting with seven rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes. Junior Lauren Banks produced 11 points and three rebounds in 27 minutes, while junior Joscelyn Meyers tallied eight points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 25 minutes.
The Trojans returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 15, when they face Lenoir-Rhyne on the road in non-conference play at 5:30 p.m.
