No. 3 Pfeiffer calls on No. 20 Mount Olive

Published in Sports on February 9, 2004 2:00 PM

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MOC Sports Information

MOUNT OLIVE -- The Mount Olive women's basketball team opened conference play in early December with a victory on the road against the defending regular season conference champions. The Trojans were in the top half of the conference standings through mid-January, but a series of close losses - three losses by three points or less - knocked the Trojans out of the top half. Tonight, Mount Olive hopes to recapture the magic of its conference opening win.

Mount Olive hopes for a season sweep as the Trojans play host to Pfeiffer in NCAA Division II Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference women's basketball tonight at College Hall. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m.

Mount Olive (7-12 overall, 3-9 CVAC) suffered its fourth consecutive loss Saturday, falling 69-58 at Erskine. Latoria Harvey recorded her 12th double-double of the year, scoring 17 points and matching a career high with 17 rebounds. Teneal Boone also recorded a double-double for the Trojans with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Trojans won their first two conference games this season and were 3-2 after a 70-54 win at home against Erskine on January 16. But Mount Olive has lost its last seven CVAC games since then, including a one-point loss against a suddenly resurgent St. Andrews squad and a 95-92 overtime loss against Anderson, ranked No. 7 in the NCAA II East Region top 10 at the time.

Pfeiffer (7-12, 3-9) is coming off a 106-55 loss Saturday at Belmont Abbey. Beth Minton led Pfeiffer with 12 points.

In the first meeting between Mount Olive and Pfeiffer, the Trojans built a 31-point lead, then held off a frantic rally to defeat the Falcons 78-69. Ladora Charles led Mount Olive with 24 points, while Boone tallied 16 points and 12 rebounds. Harvey added 13 points and Tilah Worthy scored 12 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the floor.

Mount Olive enters tonight's game in a three-way tie with Pfeiffer and Queens for eighth place in the CVAC standings. The top five teams at the end of the regular season earn first-round byes in next month's CVAC Tournament. The sixth-, seventh- and eighth-place teams play host to first-round games in the tournament.