WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 12) – After recording their lowest shooting percentage of the season, the Trojans fell by an 84-37 margin at Palm Beach Atlantic on Tuesday night in non-conference play.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team had its three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 3-4 overall with a 1-3 mark on the road. It marked the first trip for the Trojans to Florida since a pair of contests in the Sunshine State in 2017-18. Meanwhile, Palm Beach Atlantic improves to 4-5 this season behind a 2-1 record at home.
Sophomore
Laila Anderson delivered a team-high 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting with two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 34 minutes of action. Senior
Reagan Hune contributed six points, seven rebounds, two steals, and one block in 31 minutes. Sophomore
Jada Priebe tallied five points and two rebounds, while junior
Alexis Durham finished with four points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 20 minutes.
Following nearly two minutes of scoreless play, Durham hit a jumper to give UMO an early 2-0 advantage. The Sailfish countered with five unanswered points before Anderson made a layup to trim the deficit to 5-4 with 5:55 remaining. PBA closes the first quarter with an 18-3 run behind seven-of-eight attempts to hold a 23-7 lead. In the second quarter, the Sailfish opened with an 11-0 run to extend the advantage to 34-7 before UMO scored three of the following five points to trail by a 36-10 margin with 3:43 left. Over the final three-plus minutes, PBA made four-of-five shots, including a pair of threes, to take a 47-14 lead into the break.
The Sailfish offense remained in rhythm in the third quarter by going on a 17-2 run over six-plus minutes to build a 64-16 lead. Mount Olive rallied with eight consecutive points to close the gap 64-24 before Anderson hit a jumper with 49 seconds left to trail 66-26. The two sides traded baskets over the majority of the fourth quarter before PBA closed the contest with back-to-back layups to secure the 84-37 victory.
UMO finished the contest shooting 20.7 percent (12-of-58) from the floor while converting 12-of-20 (60.0 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, PBA posted a .556 field goal percentage (35-of-63) and made 9-of-18 (50.0 percent) from three-point range. The Sailfish recorded a significant 53-24 rebounding advantage with 48 points in the paint, while the Trojans registered 10 points off 17 forced turnovers.
Senior Ashleigh Boulin finishes with a game-high 17 points on eight-of-nine shooting with seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 27 minutes. Fellow senior Kash Ayuso registered 14 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in 30 minutes, while teammate Jillian Schenk contributed 10 points, two rebounds, and one assist in 20 minutes.
The Trojans return to non-conference play tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 13, when they face Nova Southeastern with a tip-off set for 5:30 p.m.
