TIGERVILLE, S.C. (Jan. 13) – The Trojans were unable to overcome a 20-point deficit in the second quarter in a 62-45 loss on the road at North Greenville on Saturday afternoon in Conference Carolinas play.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team drop to 3-9 overall with a 1-3 record in league action. The Crusaders snap a nine-game losing streak versus the Trojans and earn their first win in the series since 2018. Meanwhile, North Greenville improves to 10-5 this season behind a 4-4 mark in conference play.
Sophomore
Laila Anderson scored a team-high 15 points while adding one rebound, three assists, and two steals in 40 minutes of action. Junior
Kamania Griffin finished with nine points, nine rebounds, one assist, three steals, and one block in 38 minutes. Fellow junior
Tiandria Tucker produced eight points, eight rebounds, two assists, and four steals in 29 minutes.
Mount Olive converted a layup in the opening seconds of the contest before the Crusaders countered with eight unanswered points on three-of-six shooting to take an 8-2 advantage. Over the next three-plus minutes, the Trojans scored seven of the following 10 points to cut the deficit to 11-9 with 1:59 left in the first quarter. North Greenville tallied the final three points of the quarter to hold a 14-9 lead following the initial 10 minutes of the game. The Crusaders mounted a 16-1 run over the opening five-plus minutes of the second quarter to build a 30-10 advantage. The sides exchanged points over the final three minutes of the quarter, as North Greenville held a 38-19 lead at the break.
The Trojans trimmed the deficit by scoring five of the initial seven points of the third quarter to trail 40-24 at the 5:46 mark. Over the next five minutes, UMO closed the gap to 46-33 behind five points by Anderson before NGU tallied the final four points of the third. The Crusaders made the first shot of the fourth quarter before the Trojans responded with a 10-2 rally to cut the deficit to 54-43 with 5:28 to go. Following a three-minute scoreless drought, North Greenville made six-of-eight from the free-throw line to secure the 62-45 win.
UMO finished the contest shooting 31.4 percent (16-of-51) from the floor while converting 5-of-18 (27.8 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, NGU posted a .350 field goal percentage (21-of-60) and made 16-of-19 (84.2 percent) from the free-throw line. The Crusaders recorded a significant 47-29 rebounding advantage with 24 points in the paint, while the Trojans registered 18 points off 19 forced turnovers.
Junior Tabitha Littlefield finished with a game-high 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting with nine rebounds in 25 minutes. Graduate student Greyson Boone contributed 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and one steal while playing all 40 minutes. Junior Angie Rodriguez tallied nine points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in 31 minutes, while senior Abi Oates registered nine points and three rebounds in 32 minutes.
The Trojans return to conference action on Wednesday, Jan. 17, when they host Chowan at Kornegay Arena with tip-off set for 5 p.m.
