MOUNT OLIVE (Feb. 21) – After registering a season-low in scoring on Wednesday night, the Trojans were dealt a 77-34 loss versus UNC Pembroke in Conference Carolinas action at Kornegay Arena.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team falls to 7-17 overall behind a 5-11 mark in conference play. The Braves have won the last four meetings in the series and hold the No. 1 seed in the KPI rankings, which determines league tournament seeding. Meanwhile, UNC Pembroke improves to 20-6 this season with a 14-2 mark in league action.
Senior
Reagan Hune led the team with 11 points while adding three rebounds, two steals, and one block in 36 minutes. Junior
Alexis Durham produced 10 points, two rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 22 minutes. Junior
Dominique Pacheco tallied five points and two assists in 19 minutes off the bench.
In the first quarter, the Braves established an early 9-0 advantage in the opening five-plus minutes of the game before the sides exchanged points over the next two minutes. UNC Pembroke finished the first by scoring five of the final seven points to take a 20-9 lead. After a three-pointer by UNCP to start the second, the Trojans answered back with an 8-2 rally to trim the deficit to 25-17 at the 4:49 mark. The Braves closed out the quarter with a 12-3 run to take a 37-20 lead at the break.
UNC Pembroke scored eight unanswered points to begin the third quarter to stretch the lead to 45-20 before the Trojans halted the scoreless drought at the free-throw line. The Braves continued their offense rhythm with a 15-5 run before Pacheco nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer, as UMO trailed 60-29 heading into the final quarter. The teams exchanged points a majority of the fourth before UNCP registered the final eight points of the game to secure a 77-34 win.
UMO finished the contest shooting a season-low 19.3 percent (11-of-57) from the floor while converting 6-of-24 (25.0 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, UNCP posted a .545 field goal percentage (24-of-44) and made 11-of-24 (45.8 percent) from three-point range. The Braves recorded a 39-24 rebounding advantage with 25 points off 16 forced turnovers.
Redshirt junior Kelci Adams scored a game-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting while converting seven three-pointers. She also added seven rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes. Senior Kalaya Hall finished with 14 points on 5-of-12 shots with one rebound, five assists, one steal, and one block in 28 minutes. Junior Zaria Clark and senior Courtney Smith tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Mount Olive returns to the court on Saturday, Feb. 24, when it travels to face Southern Wesleyan in league play at 2 p.m.
