MOUNT OLIVE (Jan. 4) – Junior
Jada Priebe registered a career-best performance on Saturday afternoon with a career-high 32 points, as the Trojans fell by an 82-70 margin against Lees-McRae in Conference Carolinas action at Kornegay Arena.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball program drops to 1-11 overall behind a 0-7 record in conference play. The Trojans will play four of the next five games on the road with their only scheduled home game in January on the 18th. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae improves to 5-6 this season with a 3-4 mark in league action.
Priebe joined exclusive company at 15th all-time in single-game scoring with 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting while posting a double-double after tallying 10 rebounds, two assists, and five steals in 32 minutes. She scored 18 points in the second quarter on six-of-eight attempts while converting five-of-six from the free-throw line. It marks the highest point total in a game since former teammate
Laila Anderson recorded 35 points versus Shaw in Dec. 2023.
Senior
Alexis Durham contributed 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 32 minutes on the court. Fellow senior
Amber Nealy also reached double figures after totaling 12 points on four-of-six shooting from beyond the arc. Sophomore
Alondra Arroyo finished with three points, six rebounds, six assists, three blocks, and one steal in 30 minutes.
In the first quarter, the Trojans built a 4-0 edge in the opening minute before Lees-McRae responded with an 18-2 rally by shooting 8-of-16 from the field while forcing five turnovers. Junior
Savannah McAfee halted the run with a jump shot at the 2:53 mark, but the Bobcats closed the opening quarter with a 28-12 advantage. Mount Olive scored a season-high 35 points in the second quarter, led by Priebe with 18. In the initial five-plus minutes, UMO mounted an 18-3 rally to cut the deficit to 31-30 with 4:11 to go. Following a jumper by Lees-McRae, Nealy splashed back-to-back threes to put Mount Olive ahead by a 36-33 margin. In the final 2:09, the Trojans scored 11 of the final 13 points to head into halftime with the lead, 47-37.
Mount Olive maintained a 51-44 edge at the 6:10 mark of the third following a three-pointer by Nealy before the Bobcats surged into the lead with a 16-6 rally, including four-of-four shooting from beyond the arc, 60-57. Lees-McRae managed to pull away early in the fourth with 10 unanswered points but UMO worked into the deficit with a 6-0 run, 70-63. LMC held on the final three-plus minutes and made a perfect six-of-six from the free-throw line to earn an 82-70 win.
UMO shot at a 41.1 clip (23-of-56) from the floor while going 15-of-20 (75.0 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae finished the game shooting 46.2 percent (30-of-65) and converted 12-of-28 (42.9 percent) from three-point range. Both teams finished with 34 rebounds in the contest, while the Trojans scored 29 points off 23 forced turnovers.
Bobcat sophomore Layla Tillery finished with 16 points, two rebounds, seven assists, and one steal in 32 minutes. Sophomore Nadiya Hairston tallied 14 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and six steals in 32 minutes.
The Trojans continue Conference Carolinas play on Saturday, Jan. 11, when they travel to face Erskine at 2 p.m.
