Mount Olive women slip past Saints

Published in Sports on February 27, 2005 2:12 AM

• Print
• Email

MOUNT OLIVE -- Latoria Harvey posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Heidi Busch added a career-high 13 points as Mount Olive held on to defeat Limestone 57-54 in NCAA Division II Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at College Hall.

The win, combined with Lees-McRae's 68-63 victory over Barton, gives the Trojans the No. 6 seed in the CVAC Tournament. Mount Olive will play host to No. 11 Limestone in the first round Monday.

Mount Olive (11-15, 9-11 CVAC) trailed throughout most of the first half as Limestone led by as many as seven points. Busch hit inside baskets on back-to-back possessions to give the Trojans their first lead of the game at 18-17 with 7:23 left in the first half.

Mount Olive built the lead to five points after a three-pointer by Shenetta Moye before going into the locker room with a 28-25 halftime lead. Busch had nine points in the first half.

Limestone (4-22, 4-16) scored the first six points of the second half and built the lead to five points after Tiffany Jones' layup put the Saints ahead 39-34 with exactly 13 minutes remaining.

Teneal Boone then scored the game's next five points and the game was tied three more times before Harvey's basket with 6:01 remaining gave Mount Olive a 48-47 lead and put the Trojans ahead to stay.

Mount Olive's biggest lead down the stretch was three points as Harvey's two free throws gave the Trojans a 53-50 lead with 2:45 left in the contest. Harvey was 5-for-5 from the line for the game.

Limestone pulled within one after a pair of free throws by Jones, but Melanie Cobb answered with a basket to give the Trojans a 55-52 lead with 1:26 remaining.

After the Trojans missed a shot, Melissa DeVore pulled Limestone back within a point on a fast break layup with 26 seconds remaining. After Moye hit 1-of-2 free throws with 24 seconds left to extend the Trojans' lead to 56-54, Limestone turned the ball over and Cobb hit 1-of-2 from the line to make it a three-point game.

In the first meeting at Limestone nine days ago, Jones hit a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer to end regulation and the Saints went on to win in overtime. But this time, Jones' 3-point attempt was off target and Mount Olive held on for the win.

Cobb finished with 12 points and eight rebounds for Mount Olive, while Boone finished with 11 points. Busch came within one board of her first career double-double, pulling down nine rebounds.

Jones led all scorers with 14 points for Limestone. Both teams did much of their scoring from the free throw line as Mount Olive was 22-for-35 from the line, while Limestone was 21-for-32.

Monday's tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.