MOUNT OLIVE (Feb. 1) – The Trojans were unable to overcome a fourth-quarter surge from their opponent on Wednesday night in a 71-65 loss against Barton in Conference Carolinas play at Kornegay Arena.

With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team falls to 11-12 overall with a 7-8 mark in conference action. The rivals split the season series for the first time since 2018 with both road teams winning this season. Meanwhile, Barton improves to 6-14 this year behind a 6-7 record in league play.

Freshman Laila Anderson led the team with a career-high 25 points on 9-of-17 attempts while making five-of-six from the free-throw line. She also matched her career-high with six steals and added two rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. The Burlington School product has started the last five games for the Trojans and is averaging 13.4 points per game in that span.

Senior Makayla Kimble scored in double-figures with 10 points while tallying three rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block in 33 minutes. Junior Reagan Hune finished with 10 points on five-of-eight from the field with eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 33 minutes. Sophomore Tiandria Tucker posted nine points on four-of-four shooting while totaling two rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block in 23 minutes.

In the first quarter, the Bulldogs raced out to a 7-3 advantage in the opening two-plus minutes after knocking down three-of-five from the floor. Over the next four minutes, Mount Olive rallied off a 16-4 run, led by Anderson with seven points, to establish a 19-11 lead with 2:09 left in the quarter. Barton responded by scoring five of the final seven points, as the Trojans led 21-16. Anderson nailed a huge three-pointer to begin the second quarter, but the Bulldogs quickly closed the gap and took the lead with an 11-2 rally after converting five-of-six attempts. UMO regained the advantage with six-consecutive points with under three minutes to go before tallying six more points in the final 1:27 to take a 38-30 lead into the break.

Mount Olive stretched the advantage to double-digit points early in the third before Barton countered with a 10-2 run to trim the deficit to 42-40 with 5:43 remaining. The Trojans were able to maintain the lead over the next five minutes after making six-of-nine shots to take a 55-49 advantage into the final quarter. The Bulldogs mounted a 13-0 run over the opening five-plus minutes of the fourth, while UMO went zero-of-six from the field during that stretch. With Barton holding a 62-55 lead, the Trojans managed to reclaim the advantage at 63-62 with 2:14 left after eight unanswered points. The Bulldogs ultimately flipped the script in the final two minutes after converting seven-of-nine from the line to escape with a 71-65 victory.

The Trojans finished the game shooting 45.3 percent (24-of-53) from the floor while converting 12-of-13 (92.3 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs shot at a 43.9 clip (25-of-57) from the field and made 16-of-21 (76.2 percent) from the charity stripe. Barton finished with a 39-24 rebounding advantage and scored 32 points in the paint, while UMO finished with 21 points off 23 forced turnovers.

Junior Lauren Walkers totaled a game-high 29 points on 12-of-25 shooting with five rebounds and two steals in 37 minutes. Freshman Lauren Mingo registered 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 31 minutes. Freshman Myah Wilkins posted a double-double with 10 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and five steals while playing 31 minutes.

Mount Olive continues Conference Carolinas action on Saturday, Feb. 4, when it hosts King on Church Night in Kornegay Arena at 4 p.m.