MOC women win tip-off tourney

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on November 20, 2005 2:16 AM

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AIKEN, S.C. -- Mount Olive converted 13 second half USC Aiken turnovers into 13 points to surprise the Lady Pacers 66-62 on Saturday afternoon in the final game of the NU SKIN Tip-Off Classic.

The Lady Trojans win the first-ever meeting between the programs handing USCA just its fourth non-conference home loss in 33 games since 1999-2000. In the first game of the afternoon, Tampa rolled past Converse 75-48.

Teneal Boone scored 18 of her game-high 26 points in the second half including a clutch three-pointer with 2:53 left to play to quail a Lady Pacer rally. Trailing 56-47 with 6:01 on the clock, USC Aiken (1-2) made a late 10-3 surge to draw within a bucket with 3:20 remaining on Mindy Allee's reverse lay-up in the paint. Allee triggered the run on a pair of free throws and then Avonte Williams and Allee drilled back-to-back three-pointers to cut it to 59-57.

Allee finished with 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting and 6-of-7 at the line to go with three assists and three rebounds in 37 minutes. Williams added nine points and four boards.

Satu Leppanen's jumper in the paint with 40.9 to play made it a two-point game 62-60. The two teams traded buckets with Mount Olive (2-0) having the ball out of bounds with 6.0 on the clock. In fitting fashion, Boone converted two charity tosses to seal the 66-62 win. Leppanen finished with a team-high 17 points on 8-of-16 from the field.

USC Aiken opened 0-of-5 from the field and was outscored 8-0 until Jordon Thomas ended a six-minute scoring drought to begin the game. The Lady Pacers fell behind 12-2 after Meaghan Vanderhorst's lay-up at 12:10 before USCA found its feet.

Trailing 24-15 with 6:11 left until half, USC Aiken reeled off a 14-2 run to bolt in front 29-26 on Leppanen's jumper with 50 ticks left until the break to take its first lead of the game before Keona Corley set the halftime margin at 29-28.

In the second half, a three-point play by freshman, and Aiken native, Kendra Chandler put USC Aiken in front for the final time 42-40 with 11:54 remaining. But nine-straight points over the next four minutes pushed the Trojans ahead 49-42.

Anita Rogers and Ebony Green each scored nine points for Mount Olive as the Trojans connected on 14-of-25 in the second half for 56.0 percent.

USC Aiken won the battle of the boards 34-23 but committed 10 more turnovers.

Mount Olive returns home to host Virginia State, also on Tuesday, at 5:30 PM.

On Friday, Boone scored 14 points and Mount Olive shot 57.4 percent from the field in a 81-57 win over Converse (S.C.) at the NU SKIN Tip-Off Classic. Ebony Green added 12 points, while Sierra Medeiros provided 10 points and seven rebounds. Anita Rogers dished out seven assists.