DUE WEST, S.C. (Jan. 9) – Despite featuring four players in double figures on Thursday afternoon, the University of Mount Olive women's basketball team fell short by a 66-56 margin at Erskine in Conference Carolinas play.
With the loss, the Trojans fall to 1-12 this season with a 0-8 mark in league action. Both teams agreed to move the game to Thursday with wintry conditions in the forecast over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Flying Fleet improves to 3-10 overall behind a 2-6 record in conference play.
Senior
Alexis Durham led the team with 15 points while converting five-of-seven from the free-throw line. Additionally, she added four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 33 minutes against Erskine. Fellow senior
Amber Nealy finished with 12 points in 28 minutes on the court, while sophomore
Alondra Arroyo contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, one steal, and two blocks in 28 minutes. Junior
Jada Priebe recorded a consecutive double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes.
The Trojans established a 3-0 edge in the opening minutes of the first quarter before building the lead to 7-2 at the 5:46 mark on back-to-back layups by Priebe. Erskine countered with an 11-3 run over the final four-plus minutes while forcing UMO into four turnovers to take a 13-10 advantage. In the second quarter, the Flying Fleet stretched the lead to 22-12 after scoring nine of the initial 11 points. Mount Olive responded with a 9-3 rally with a majority of the points coming from the free-throw line to cut the deficit to 25-21 at the break.
The Flying Fleet built the lead to 29-21 at the 8:43 mark of the third quarter before the Trojans closed the gap to 32-28 following a pair of free throws from Nealy. With Erskine ahead by a 37-28 margin with 5:04 left in the quarter, UMO made 5-of-10 from the field, led by Arroyo with four points, to trail 42-39 entering the fourth. The Flying Fleet quickly gained a double-digit advantage in the initial five minutes to hold a 54-43 lead. Mount Olive narrowed the gap to 61-54 with 58 seconds to go before Erskine sealed the win at the free-throw line, 66-56.
The Trojans finished the game shooting 31.8 percent (21-of-65) from the floor and converted 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Flying Fleet shot at a 40.4 clip (23-of-57) from the field and made 15-of-27 (55.6 percent) from the charity stripe. Mount Olive held a 49-34 rebounding advantage with 36 points in the paint. Erskine scored 33 points off the bench and 21 points off turnovers.
Erskine junior Albany Wilson totaled 14 points, five rebounds, two assists, and five steals in 30 minutes. Freshman Keziyah Sanders contributed 13 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 21 minutes while freshman Ahrianna Scott registered 10 points.
Mount Olive will travel on Wednesday, Jan. 15, to face Francis Marion in Conference Carolinas play at 5:30 p.m.
