MOUNT OLIVE, NC – Four Patriots scored in the double-figures giving Francis Marion University a 74-69 road victory over the University of Mount Olive, Wednesday night (Jan. 18) in Conference Carolinas women's basketball action.
 
Francis Marion (10-6, 8-2) has won eight straight contests and currently remains tied for third in conference standings. FMU returns to the Walter D. Smith University Center for another conference matchup in the Battle of I-95 rematch with UNC Pembroke on Saturday (Jan. 21) at 2 p.m.
 
First-year forward Trinity Adams and junior center Lauryn Taylor led the Patriots with 16 points apiece. Adams had a 6-of-7 shooting performance from the floor with two blocked shots, while Taylor had four rebounds and two steals.
 
FMU sophomore guard Kiana Lee registered her fifth double-double of the season with 14 points on a 6-of-9 shooting performance and snagging 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard Jada Richards supplied 10 points, while junior point guard Aniyah Oliver registered eight points and a game-high nine assists and two steals.
 
Junior guard Haleigh Crews posted 24 points and seven rebounds, while freshman guard Laila Anderson registered 16 points for Mount Olive (10-9, 6-5).
 
After the Patriots drew first blood with a Lee three-pointer, the Trojans would jump ahead of the Patriots quickly earning up to a 10-point lead at 17-7 with 3:25 remaining in the first quarter. This would be Mount Olive's largest lead of the contest. FMU kicked on the gas and drove its way in front with an 11-0 run with the score at 18-17 with 16 seconds left. The Trojans went back up by two shortly after, but an Adams fast break layup with one second remaining locked the score at 20-20 going into the second quarter.
 
The second quarter began as a back-and-forth affair, but lasted about halfway as FMU sparked a huge 7-0 spurt to give themselves the lead at 34-27 with 3:10 left until halftime. UMO's Crews netted a three-pointer to pull them within four, but Lee scored a layup to bring FMU's lead up to six at 36-30. The Trojans were successful on three charity stripe makes to shrink the Patriot's lead to three going into the locker room.
 
Four straight makes for Mount Olive to open the second half gave the Trojans a quick five-point lead. The Patriots would battle back and continue to cut into that Trojan lead as they faced a four-point deficit at 51-47 with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter. Sophomore guard Janiyah Hagood knocked down a three-pointer to cut the lead down to one, but UMO would answer back with a jumper to go back up three. With Francis Marion down 53-50 with 2:06 in the third quarter, two free throw makes from Adams, a Taylor layup, and a Hagood free throw gave the Patriots a two-point lead with six seconds remaining. A jumper from UMO freshman guard Maleiya Hill knotted the score at 55-55 entering the fourth quarter.
 
Entering the fourth quarter, the back-and-forth affair continued with the score being tied twice at 57-57 and 63-63. A couple of hoops in the paint by Richards and Adams would the Patriots the lead for good. Mount Olive would pull within one point at 67-66, but that would be as close as the Trojans got. Two points from Lee, two free throws by Oliver, and three charity tosses from Taylor gave FMU its largest lead of eight points at 74-66 with six seconds remaining.
 
Francis Marion shot 57.1 percent from the floor, including 4-of-13 from behind the three-point arc, and was 14-of-19 at the charity stripe. Mount Olive shot 45.0 percent from the floor, sinking 6-of-15 from behind the three-point arc, and was 9-of-17 at the charity stripe.
 
 
01/18/23 5:00 pm at Mount Olive, NC
FRANCIS MARION 74, MOUNT OLIVE 69
FRANCIS MARION (10-6, 8-2)
Lauryn Taylor 5-14 5-7 16; Trinity Adams 6-7 4-4 16; Kiana Lee 6-9 1-1 14;
Jada Richards 4-7 1-3 10; Aniyah Oliver 3-6 2-2 8; Janiyah Hagood 2-2 1-2 6;
Jasmine Stanley 2-3 0-0 4; Alexis Sexton 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-49 14-19 74.
MOUNT OLIVE (10-10, 6-5)
Haleigh Crews 9-15 2-2 24; Laila Anderson 5-14 4-6 16; Maleiya Hill 4-9 1-1
9; Reagan Hune 4-9 1-4 9; Laila Harris 3-9 1-4 7; Michelle Stewart 1-2 0-0
2; Josie Kilborn 1-1 0-0 2; Kaia Simpson 0-0 0-0 0; Dominique Pacheco 0-0
0-0 0; Jada Priebe 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-60 9-17 69.
Francis Marion................   20   16   19   19  -   74
Mount Olive...................   20   13   22   14  -   69
3-point goals--Francis Marion 4-13 (Kiana Lee 1-2; Jada Richards 1-2; Lauryn
Taylor 1-5; Janiyah Hagood 1-1; Aniyah Oliver 0-2; Trinity Adams 0-1), Mount
Olive 6-15 (Haleigh Crews 4-5; Laila Anderson 2-7; Reagan Hune 0-1; Michelle
Stewart 0-1; Maleiya Hill 0-1). Fouled out--Francis Marion-None, Mount
Olive-None. Rebounds--Francis Marion 31 (Kiana Lee 11), Mount Olive 30
(Haleigh Crews 7). Assists--Francis Marion 18 (Aniyah Oliver 9), Mount Olive
16 (Maleiya Hill 8). Total fouls--Francis Marion 15, Mount Olive 19.
Technical fouls--None. A-112