UMO women beaten by Chowan

MOUNT OLIVE – Despite forcing a season-high 33 turnovers, the Trojans suffered an 81-72 loss versus Chowan in Conference Carolinas action on Wednesday night at Kornegay Arena.

With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women’s basketball team dropped to 2-4 this season with a 1-1 mark in conference play. The Hawks have now won the last three meetings between the sides, while UMO boasts a 9-5 record in the series dating back to 2005. Meanwhile, Chowan improved to 4-2 overall with a 1-1 record in league action.

Freshman Laila Anderson led all scorers with a season-high 19 points on six of 14 from the floor, including four of six from beyond the arc. She also added six steals and two assists in 32 minutes off the bench. Anderson ranks second on the team this season with 9.7 points per game.

Junior Laila Harris registered 17 points on seven of 18 shooting with four rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 38 minutes. Freshman Maleiya Hill tallied 14 points on four of seven from the field with three assists and five steals in 22 minutes, while sophomore Tiandria Tucker finished with eight points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in 27 minutes off the bench.

The Hawks made a perfect four of four from the field to begin the contest with a pair of three-pointers to take a 10-4 lead. UMO answered by scoring three of the following four points to cut the deficit to 12-7 with 5:48 left in the first. Chowan countered with an 8-2 run to stretch the advantage to 20-9 before both teams traded buckets over the final two-plus minutes, as the Hawks held a 29-17 lead after the opening quarter.

The Hawks converted a jumper to start the second before Mount Olive scored 10 unanswered points, led by Tucker with six points, to close the gap to 31-27 with 4:25 left before the break. Chowan responded by sinking five of five from the floor to take a 46-31 advantage into the halftime.

In the third quarter, the Trojans mounted a 9-2 run to trim the deficit to 48-40, but the Hawks answered by hitting four of five field goals to extend the advantage to 58-41. The teams exchanged baskets over the final three minutes of the quarter, as Chowan lead by a 65-49 margin after three.

Just over midway through fourth quarter, UMO scored nine straight points to close the gap to 71-62 with just under three minutes left. The Hawks handled their business at the line, converting eight of 10 shots to close out the game.

The Trojans finished the game shooting 32.9 percent (24 of 73) from the floor while converting 19 of 27 (70.4 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Hawks shot at a 60 percent clip (30 of 50) from the field and made 17 of 23 (73.9 percent) from the charity stripe. Chowan finished with a 46-29 rebounding advantage and scored 46 points in the paint. UMO tallied 33 points off the bench and recorded 32 points off turnovers.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics