WILSON, N.C. (Jan. 24) – Trailing by 11 points early in the fourth, the Trojans stormed back with five different players scoring in the quarter in a 66-64 comeback victory at rival Barton on Wednesday evening in Conference Carolinas play.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team halted its losing streak and improves to 4-12 overall with a 2-6 mark in conference action. The Trojans have won the last two meetings at Wilson Gymnasium with both victories coming by five or fewer points. Meanwhile, Barton falls to 5-13 this season behind a 4-5 record in league play.
Sophomore
Laila Anderson filled up the stat sheet for the Trojans after finishing with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting while going a perfect four-of-four from the free-throw line. She also contributed three rebounds, a career-high eight assists, and five steals while playing all 40 minutes.
Senior
Reagan Hune totaled 15 points on 6-of-12 shots with seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block in 36 minutes. Sophomore
Jada Priebe produced 10 points on 5-of-11 attempts with seven rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes. Junior
Kamania Griffin tallied eight points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 31 minutes.
The Trojans made a perfect three-of-three from the field to begin the game and took a 6-3 edge before Barton countered with consecutive three-pointers to hold a 9-6 advantage. Mount Olive responded with a 10-2 rally led by Hune and Griffin with four points each to reclaim a 16-11 lead. The Bulldogs closed the gap to 18-16 late in the first quarter before Anderson made a layup with 14 seconds left. Barton quickly tied the contest in the second quarter at 26-26 at the 5:57 mark before scoring 10 straight points to build a 36-26 lead. Hune halted the run with a jumper, but the Bulldogs closed the half with back-to-back buckets to hold a 40-28 advantage at the break.
In the third quarter, Mount Olive rallied with a 12-4 run on five-of-eight shooting to cut the deficit to 44-40 at the 4:11 mark. Barton answered by scoring nine of the following 11 points to extend the lead to 53-42 before Anderson made a jumper in the final seconds. The sides exchanged points in the initial minutes of the fourth before the Trojans mounted a 10-1 run to tie the contest at 59-59 with 3:40 remaining. The Bulldogs made a pair from the free-throw line to regain the lead, but the Trojans converted three straight shots to take a 65-62 advantage. Barton converted a layup with 20 seconds left to close the gap to one point, but UMO sealed the win with excellent defense in the final seconds, 66-64.
UMO finished the contest shooting 45.2 percent (28-of-62) from the floor while converting six-of-seven (85.7 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Barton posted a .469 field goal percentage (23-of-49) and made 12-of-22 (54.5 percent) from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs recorded a 34-31 rebounding advantage with 28 points off the bench, while the Trojans registered 36 points in the paint.
Senior Lauren Walker tallied 18 points on 7-of-15 attempts with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 40 minutes. Sophomore Lauren Mingo also finished with 18 points on 6-of-10 shots with three rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 25 minutes. Senior Cierra Revelle and freshman Nyla Powell each reached double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Trojans continue their three-game road trip on Saturday, Jan. 28, when they face King in league action, starting at 2 p.m.
