FLORENCE, S.C. — Mount Olive dropped its Conference Carolinas opener on Tuesday night, falling 70–54 on the road at Francis Marion after a slow first half proved too much to overcome.

Francis Marion jumped out to a 20–8 lead in the first quarter and continued to control the tempo, holding the Trojans to just 15 points in the opening half. Mount Olive responded with a strong third quarter—shooting 57 percent and outscoring the Patriots 22–18—but FMU's interior presence and second-chance scoring kept the Trojans from closing the gap.

Jada Priebe led Mount Olive with 21 points on an efficient 9-for-13 shooting performance, adding eight rebounds and a block. Savannah McAfee turned in a well-rounded outing with 14 points, adding nine rebounds, , while Kayla Jackson added eight points—including a pair of threes—along with three steals.

UMO made a push in the fourth, but FMU's advantage in the paint (46–22) and on the glass (51–36) ultimately made the difference. The Patriots also turned 20 Mount Olive turnovers into 20 points.

With the loss, the Trojans move to 2–2 overall and 0–1 in league play. Mount Olive will enjoy a week off before facing the Wasps of Emory and Henry on Wednesday, Dec. 3 in the 11 am match up.