UMO drops contest at Catawba

SALISBURY  – Despite featuring three players in double-figures Nov. 12, the Trojans fell by a score of 80-55 at Catawba in non-conference play during the final day of the Conference Challenge.

With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women’s basketball team dropped to 0-2 this season with both losses coming against schools from the South Atlantic Conference. Meanwhile, the Indians improved to 2-0 overall after defeating North Greenville in their season opener by over 50 points.

Junior transfer Reagan Hune led all scorers with a game-high 17 points on 8-17 shots while adding nine rebounds (three offensive) and a steal in 32 minutes of action. She joins the program from North Alabama, a Division I program, after being featured in 19 games off the bench for the Lions.

Freshman Laila Anderson reached double-digit points for a consecutive game after totaling 11 points on 5-12 from the floor. Sophomore Tiandria Tucker finished with a double-double after totaling 10 points on 5-10 shooting with 10 rebounds (two offensive) in 26 minutes off the bench.

Catawba scored the opening two baskets of the game before the Trojans answered with back-to-back layups. The Indians went on an 8-2 run to take a 12-6 advantage with 5:59 left in the first quarter before Hune answered with a jumper.

Catawba scored four-straight points over a two-plus minute stretch before freshman Malaya Hill scored four points to close the gap to 16-12. The Indians scored a layup in the closing seconds to hold an 18-12 advantage after the first quarter. In the second, Catawba used an 11-3 run to take a 29-15 lead after shooting 5-5 from the field. Mount Olive answered by knocking down four-of-six shots to trim the deficit to 32-23 with 4:52 left before the break. The Indians took a 41-26 lead into halftime following a 9-3 run over the final four-plus minutes, including forcing four turnovers in that stretch.

Both sides traded points over a majority of the third quarter before Catawba went on a 10-2 run in the final 2:49 of the quarter to hold a 61-39 lead. Following a basket from the Indians to open the fourth, UMO drilled 5-9 buckets with five different players scoring to close the gap to 68-51 with 5:07 left. Catawba finished the contest by making 5-6 shots to go on a 12-4 run to win the game, 80-55.

UMO finished the game shooting 23-66 (34.8 percent) from the floor after converting 7-14 (50 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Catawba shot at a 50.8 clip (31-61) and made 14-28 (50 percent) from the charity stripe. The Indians held a slight 43-41 rebounding advantage and scored 42 points in the paint. The Trojans totaled 15 points off the bench and registered 24 points in the paint.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics