MOUNT OLIVE (Jan. 20) – Sophomore
Laila Anderson tied a game-high with 24 points, as the Trojans fell by a 70-60 margin against Converse in Conference Carolinas play at Kornegay Arena on Saturday afternoon.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team drops to 3-11 overall with a 1-5 record in league action. The Valkyries post its first-ever win over the Trojans after previously losing 29-straight games dating back to 2005. Meanwhile, Converse improves to 7-10 this season behind a 3-5 mark in conference play.
Anderson produced 24 points on 6-of-12 shooting while converting five-of-nine from three-point range. She also made seven-of-nine from the free-throw line and tallied two steals in 40 minutes on the court. Anderson records her seventh 20-point performance of the season and is averaging 19.5 points per game.
Junior
Kamania Griffin finished with a season-high 14 points on five-of-nine attempts with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 36 minutes. Senior
Reagan Hune contributed 12 points on 6-of-13 shooting with six rebounds, two assists, and three steals in 37 minutes.
The Valkyries made five-of-seven shots to begin the contest and held a 10-6 advantage in the opening five-plus minutes. Mount Olive responded by converting four-of-four from the field to close the gap to 16-15 with 1:35 left in the first quarter. Following a made free-throw by Converse, Hune scored on a driving layup with five seconds left to tie the contest at 17-17. In the second quarter, the Valkyries mounted an 11-1 run in the initial minutes to take a 28-18 advantage. The Trojans answered back with a 10-2 rally, led by Anderson with six points, to cut the deficit to 30-28 at the 1:12 mark. Converse made a pair of layups in the final minute to hold a 34-28 lead at the break.
The Valkyries went eight-of-eight from the field in the opening five-plus minutes of the third quarter as part of a 17-6 run to build a 51-34 advantage. Mount Olive finished the quarter with a 10-5 rally behind four different scorers to trail 56-44 heading into the final 10 minutes. Following a short scoreless drought in the fourth, Hune made a layup to cut the deficit to 10 points at the 8:46 mark, 56-46. Converse countered with a 10-2 run on a perfect five-of-five shooting to extend the lead to 66-48. UMO tallied nine of the next 11 points to trail 68-57, but the Valkyries held on to secure a 70-60 victory.
UMO finished the contest shooting 39.6 percent (21-of-53) from the floor while converting 11-of-13 (84.6 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Converse posted a .727 field goal percentage (32-of-44) and made 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) from the charity stripe. The Valkyries recorded a 29-21 rebounding advantage with 50 points in the paint, while the Trojans registered 25 points off 18 forced turnovers.
Redshirt senior Sydney Wilson registered 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting with nine rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes. Graduate student Jordan Brown finished with 12 points on six-of-nine attempts with six rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 36 minutes. Senior Alisa Davenport contributed 10 points on five-of-seven shots in 23 minutes of action.
The Trojans return to league action on Monday, Jan. 22, when they host Belmont Abbey at Kornegay Arena, starting at 5 p.m.
