RALEIGH, N.C. (Nov. 13) – Despite forcing a turnover with 16 seconds left, the Trojans were unable to find a go-ahead bucket in the final moments of a 56-55 loss at Shaw in the season-opener on Wednesday night in non-conference play.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team opens the year with a 0-1 overall record after being picked 10th in the preseason Conference Carolinas poll. The series is split at 1-1 after the two sides faced off in back-to-back seasons. Meanwhile, Shaw begins the campaign with a 1-0 record in its home opener.
Senior
Alexis Durham led the team with 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting with a trio of three-pointers. She also added six rebounds, five assists, and three steals in 35 minutes on the court. Junior
Keri Cooper reached double-figures with 10 points while contributing three rebounds, four steals, and two blocks in 25 minutes off the bench. Sophomore
Alondra Arroyo finished with eight points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three blocks in 31 minutes. Junior
Savannah McAfee produced eight points, seven rebounds, one assist, and three steals in 19 minutes.
The Lady Bears started the contest with six unanswered points in the opening two minutes before UMO responded with a 9-0 rally behind four different scorers. Following a layup by Shaw, the Trojans scored nine of the final 14 points to hold an 18-13 advantage after the first quarter. The Lady Bears tallied the initial five points of the second to tie the contest at 18-18 before Mount Olive regained the lead at 24-20 with 2:54 left in the half. Shaw stormed back by scoring eight of the final 11 points to take a 28-27 lead into the break.
Shaw continued to hold the edge in the third quarter at 34-31 with 5:03 remaining before the Trojans mounted a 6-0 run with four points by McAfee to reclaim the lead at 37-34. The Lady Bears answered with seven straight points to take a 41-37 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes. UMO quickly tied the contest in the initial minutes of the fourth quarter before taking a 49-46 lead behind a three-pointer by Durham. Shaw countered with an 8-2 rally to go ahead by a 54-51 margin with 3:29 left in regulation. Mount Olive trimmed the deficit to 56-55 with 41 seconds to go before forcing a turnover with 16 seconds left. The Trojans ultimately turned over the ball with two seconds left as the Lady Bears held onto the one-point win.
UMO shot at a 34.4 clip (22-of-64) from the floor while going 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Shaw finished the game shooting 48.9 percent (23-of-47) and converted 8-of-16 (50.0 percent) from the charity stripe. The Trojans held a 39-35 rebounding advantage with 24 points off turnovers, while the Lady Bears scored 40 points in the paint.
Senior Zaniyyah Ross-Barnes scored a game-high 16 points with two rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in 37 minutes. Fellow senior Maiya Bumbray finished with 10 points behind a pair of three-pointers in 12 minutes of play.
The Trojans will host their home opener on Saturday, Nov. 16, with a matchup against Morris in Kornegay Arena at noon.
