MOUNT OLIVE (Nov. 23) – Despite trailing by one point with 53 seconds left in the game, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team fell by a 52-49 margin against Shorter on Saturday afternoon at Kornegay Arena in the Conference Carolinas opener.
With the loss, the Trojans drop to 1-3 this season with a 0-1 record in conference play. The two sides met for the first time in program history following the addition of Shorter to the Conference Carolinas this year. Meanwhile, the Lady Hawks improve to 3-1 overall behind a 1-0 mark in league action.
Freshman
Destiny Thompson scored a game-high 17 points after converting 7-of-14 from the floor while adding three rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal in 33 minutes. Junior
Savannah McAfee reached double-figures after totaling 10 points and six rebounds in 27 minutes. Senior
Amber Nealy contributed eight points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 20 minutes off the bench.
Shorter delivered a strong start in the first quarter building an 11-3 lead after converting five-of-seven from the field. Following a four-minute scoreless drought from both sides, the Lady Hawks scored five of the final seven points to hold a 16-5 lead after one quarter. The Trojans registered five unanswered points in the opening minute of the second before Shorter went on an 11-5 run to maintain a 27-15 edge. Mount Olive finished the quarter with an 8-0 rally, led by Nealy with four points to trail 27-23 at halftime.
Despite cutting it to a one-possession game in the initial minutes of the third quarter, the Lady Hawks quickly regained their advantage behind an 11-4 run that stretched five minutes, 38-29. Thompson knocked down a jumper in the final seconds to trail 38-31 heading into the final 10 minutes. Following a layup by Shorter, the Trojan scored seven straight points to trim the deficit to 40-38 with 7:58 left. The Lady Hawks tallied six of the next seven points to lead 46-39 before UMO stormed back with an 8-2 run to close the gap to 48-47 with 53 seconds to go. Mount Olive missed a jumper to tie the contest, as Shorter sealed the win at the free-throw line, 52-49.
The Trojans finished the game shooting 35.3 percent (18-of-51) from the floor and converted 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Lady Hawks shot at a 34.6 clip (18-of-52) from the field and made 11-of-12 (91.7 percent) from the charity stripe. Shorter held a 37-29 rebounding advantage with 26 points in the paint. Mount Olive scored 22 points in the paint and 17 points off 21 forced turnovers.
The Lady Hawks featured a balanced offensive attack, as junior Derrica McCall led the way with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 33 minutes. Fellow junior Tiara Lewis tallied nine points, nine rebounds, and three blocks in 38 minutes of action.
Mount Olive continues Conference Carolinas action on Tuesday, Nov. 26, when it travels to battle King with tip-off set for noon.
