AIKEN, S.C. (Dec. 30) – The University of Mount Olive women's basketball team featured balanced offensive scoring on Saturday afternoon in a 70-60 loss at USC Aiken in non-conference action.

With the loss, the Trojans drop a third consecutive game to fall to 3-6 overall with a 1-5 record on the road. USC Aiken captures a win in the series after previously losing the initial three contests dating back to 2005. Meanwhile, the Pacers improve to 4-6 this season with a 3-2 record versus Conference Carolinas opponents.

Sophomore Laila Anderson finished with a team-high 17 points while making five-of-six from the free-throw line. She also added four rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 27 minutes after battling foul trouble. Junior Tiandria Tucker reached double-figures with 10 points on five-of-eight shots while grabbing four rebounds in 20 minutes. Sophomore Jada Priebe registered eight points, seven rebounds, one steal, and two blocks in 27 minutes. Junior Alexis Durham totaled seven points, one rebound, four assists, and one block in 26 minutes on Saturday.

The Pacers established an early 10-7 advantage in the first quarter converting four-of-five from the free-throw line in the opening minutes. The Trojans answered with a 9-2 rally on three-of-six shooting to take a 16-12 lead with 3:10 left. USC Aiken closed the gap to 18-17 before senior Asia Smith made the final shot of the first quarter with 31 seconds left to take a 20-17 advantage. Mount Olive started the second quarter with six straight points to extend the lead to 26-17 behind three different scorers. The Pacers responded with a 9-0 run over nearly five minutes to tie the game at 26-26 with 1:20 remaining in the half. The Trojans hit back-to-back jumpers to head into the break with a 30-26 lead.

In the third, the sides traded baskets a majority of the quarter with UMO maintaining a five-point lead at 41-36 with 3:49 left. USC Aiken closed the third quarter with an 11-3 rally after knocking down five-of-nine from the field to hold a 47-44 edge heading into the final 10 minutes. After a scoreless drought of two-plus minutes to begin the fourth, the Trojans cut the deficit to 51-49 after a three-pointer from Anderson. The Pacers answered with an 8-2 run to stretch the advantage to 59-51 with 3:16 remaining before Tucker made a layup to trim the deficit to six points. USC Aiken nailed a three-pointer on the following possession before making eight-of-eight from the free-throw line to seal the 70-60 win.

The Trojans finished the game shooting 36.4 percent (24-of-66) from the floor and converted eight-of-nine (88.9 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Pacers shot at a 41.5 clip (22-of-53) from the field and made 21-of-28 (75.0 percent) from the charity stripe. USC Aiken claimed a 44-31 edge in rebounding with 24 points in the paint, while Mount Olive totaled 22 points off the bench.

Sophomore Hailey Unger scored a career-high 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting while converting seven-of-eight from the free-throw line. She also registered five rebounds, two blocks, and four steals in 40 minutes. Redshirt junior Jentri Worley finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal in 36 minutes.

Mount Olive returns to the court on Wednesday, January 3, when it opens the New Year at home against Francis Marion in Conference Carolinas play, starting at 5 p.m.