FLORENCE, S.C. (Jan. 15) – In a Conference Carolinas Eastern Division matchup, the Trojans offense was held to under 20 points in the second half in a 78-53 loss at Francis Marion on Wednesday night.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team drops to 1-13 this season with a 0-9 mark in league action. The Patriots earned a sixth consecutive win in the series while boasting an 11-5 record versus Mount Olive dating back to 1986. Meanwhile, Francis Marion improves to 11-3 overall behind a 6-1 record in conference play.
Sophomore
Anna Miller led the team with 11 points while converting a perfect six-of-six from the free-throw line in 26 minutes. Fellow sophomore
Alondra Arroyo also reached double figures with 10 points on five-of-eight shooting with three rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal in 21 minutes. Junior
Jada Priebe totaled eight points, eight rebounds, and two assists in 27 minutes.
In the first quarter, the Patriots opened up an early 11-6 advantage in the initial three-plus minutes before the sides traded baskets over the next minute. Francis Marion made five-of-seven from the field to stretch the lead to 29-15 but UMO closed out the final 39 seconds with five unanswered points. FMU built the lead to 37-24 after scoring eight of the opening 12 points before the teams exchanged points in the final six minutes of the second quarter, 47-34.
Arroyo hit a jumper to begin the third quarter before the Patriots mounted a 12-4 run to extend the advantage to 59-40. Priebe nailed a three-pointer before the buzzer to trim the deficit to 59-43 entering the final 10 minutes of the contest. FMU quickly stretched the lead to over 20 points in the fourth with a 66-45 advantage at the 6:37 mark before ultimately capturing a 78-53 win.
UMO shot at 32.8 clip (20-of-61) from the floor while going 9-of-12 (75.0 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Francis Marion finished the game shooting 44.4 percent (28-of-63) and converted 15-of-23 (65.2 percent) from the charity stripe. The Patriots held a 51-28 rebounding advantage with 27 second-chance points, while Mount Olive totaled 18 points off the bench.
FMU redshirt junior Trinity Adams finished with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting while adding six rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes. Freshman Kiara Croskey registered 16 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 37 minutes. Junior Danielle Jackson posted a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds in 28 minutes.
The Trojans return to Kornegay Arena on Saturday, Jan. 18, to face Southern Wesleyan in league play with tip-off set for 2 p.m.
