MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – The University of Mount Olive women's basketball team defeated the Valkyries of Converse College 78-69 in Conference Carolinas action Tuesday evening in Mount Olive, N.C. Felecity Havens led Mount Olive with 23 points while Azariah Fields added a career-high 17 points and Makayla Nichols dished out 18 of her own.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Mount Olive 78, Converse 69
Records: Mount Olive (9-3, 5-1), Converse (5-7, 1-7)
Location: Kornegay Arena | Mount Olive, N.C.
How It Happened
Play-by-Play
FIRST QUARTER
- Mount Olive came out of the opening tip flat as Converse snagged the first points of the game six seconds in.
- The Valkyries went on to score two more buckets before Makayla Nichols' three-pointer stopped the run and drought for UMO with 8:12 left in the quarter.
- Following a Converse layup midway through the opening quarter, the Trojans positioned themselves for a run for the lead.
- Hope Toliver made a jumper that started a short 8-0 run for UMO that gave the home five their first lead of the game at 15-12 with 3:51 remaining in the first.
- Despite the Valkyries coming to within one point of the lead Mount Olive held a four-point lead 22-18 at the end of the first after a buzzer-beater three-point jumper from Azariah Fields.
SECOND QUARTER
- The second quarter was mostly uneventful as the Trojans' lead grew to as large as nine as they held a 36-30 advantage heading into the break.
THIRD QUARTER
- Mount Olive came out with a bit of a spark in the third as the Trojans scored the first six points of the quarter and extended their lead to 12.
- Two Nichols three-point shots pushed UMO's lead out to 50-33 with 3:32.
- Converse had the final shot of the quarter however with a shot that fell right at the horn taking the Trojan advantage down to 55-41.
FOURTH QUARTER
- The Trojans continued to increase their lead to 20 in the final quarter with 7:30 left in the quarter.
- Converse responded with eight unanswered points of their own drawing the score to 67-54 with 4:46.
- Another run by the Valkyries drew the deficit to single digits after a 7-0 spread CC was down 70-64 with just a minute to play in a game.
- After holding the lead for much of the game Converse was forced to foul in the final seconds and UMO did not miss a free-throw going 8-for-8 from the line to close out the win 78-69.
KEY STATS
- Felecity Havens led the Trojans with 23 points moving her career total to 1,656 points.
- Freshman Azariah Fields scored 17 points in the game setting a new career-high for the guard from Wilmington, N.C.
UP NEXT
Mount Olive hits the road for a pair of Conference Carolinas road games later this week at Lees-McRae College and King University. The Trojans first take on the Bobcats, Thursday, January 10 at 5:30 PM, in a rescheduled contest, and follow with a game versus the Tornado in Bristol, Tenn., Saturday, January 12, at 2 PM.
