WILSON — The University of Mount Olive women's basketball team showed early momentum and late resilience but fell 79–61 to instate rival Barton on the road Wednesday evening.

Mount Olive opened the game with confidence, jumping out to a 9–0 lead and holding its opponent scoreless for the first four minutes. The Trojans shot 46.2 percent from the field in the opening quarter and took a 15–10 lead after one behind efficient early scoring from Jada Priebe and Kayla Jackson.

The Trojans struggled to maintain that rhythm in the second quarter, managing six points as the opposing defense tightened and forced turnovers. Mount Olive entered halftime trailing despite strong rebounding efforts, particularly from Savannah
McAfee, who was active on both ends of the floor.

After the break, Mount Olive continued to battle but faced a difficult third quarter offensively. The Trojans remained aggressive attacking the paint and the free-throw line.

Mount Olive closed the game with its strongest offensive quarter, scoring 25 points in the fourth. Kayla Jackson finished with a team-high 12 points, while Priebe and Aniyah Vanhook added 11 each. McAfee recorded a game-high 14 rebounds to anchor the Trojans on the glass.

The Trojans move to 2–6 overall and 0–4 in Conference Carolinas play and will look to build on their fourth-quarter momentum as league action continues. They look to stay on the road to face the Rams of Winston-Salem State on Saturday in a 2 pm tipoff.