MOUNT OLIVE (Feb. 17) – After being outscored by 11 points in the final quarter, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team suffered a 59-58 loss against Emmanuel in Conference Carolinas action on Senior Day at Kornegay Arena.
With the loss, the Trojans drop to 7-16 this season while holding a 5-10 record in conference play. Emmanuel claims its first victory in Kornegay Arena since 2019 while also winning the last two meetings in the series. Meanwhile, the Lions improve to 15-8 overall behind an 11-4 mark in league action.
Senior
Reagan Hune produced a team-high 19 points on 6-of-11 attempts while converting a perfect six-of-six from the free-throw line. She added three rebounds, one assist, and three steals in 34 minutes. Over the last five games, Hune is shooting 60.7 percent from the field while averaging 18.2 points per game.
Sophomore
Laila Anderson contributed 15 points while making 7-of-13 from the charity stripe. She also registered two rebounds, one assist, and three steals in 37 minutes. Junior
Tiandria Tucker finished with eight points, three rebounds, and six steals in 25 minutes. Junior
Dominique Pacheco totaled five points, two rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 24 minutes.
Mount Olive converted five-of-eight shots to begin the game and establish an early 11-5 edge in the first quarter. Emmanuel countered with a 10-2 rally to capture a 15-13 lead before the Trojans scored five of the final seven points to hold an 18-17 advantage. UMO remained ahead by a 23-20 margin in the second quarter at the 7:13 mark before the Lions trimmed the deficit to two points at the free-throw line. Mount Olive finished the first half with a 6-2 run to take a 33-27 advantage in the break.
In the third quarter, UMO scored seven of the initial nine points to take a 40-29 lead following a three-pointer from Anderson at the 7:51 mark. The teams traded points over the next three-plus minutes before the Trojans took their largest lead of the game at 50-35 with three minutes left in the third. The Lions rallied with a 7-2 run in the final two minutes to trail 52-42 heading into the final 10 minutes. Following a slow start to the fourth, Emmanuel began trimming the deficit at the 4:40 mark with a 9-3 rally, 58-55. With 1:49 left, the Lions made back-to-back layups to take a 59-58 advantage before the Trojans missed a pair of attempts in the final 37 seconds.
UMO shot at a 35.8 clip (19-of-53) from the floor while going 16-of-22 (72.7 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Emmanuel finished the game shooting 37.7 percent (20-of-53) and converted 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) from the charity stripe. The Lions held a 42-24 rebounding advantage with 14 second-chance points, while the Trojans registered 19 points off 28 forced turnovers.
Senior Sydney Wyatt scores a game-high 23 points on 7-of-17 shooting with 10 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one block while playing all 40 minutes. Fellow senior Tyasia Freeman finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 34 minutes.
Mount Olive returns to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 21, when it hosts UNC Pembroke in Conference Carolinas play at 5 p.m.
