Mount Olive women prepare for Lees-McRae

Published in Sports on January 20, 2006 2:06 PM

• Print
• Email

Mount Olive head women's basketball coach Wendy Lee might have preferred that her team had played virtually every night this week, rather than have a four-day gap between games. She doesn't want the Trojans to lose any momentum after recording one of the biggest victories in team history.

Mount Olive returns to action Saturday as the Trojans play host to Lees-McRae in Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference women's basketball. Tipoff is 2 p.m. at Kornegay Arena.

Mount Olive (8-6 overall, 3-4 CVAC) snapped a five-game losing streak Monday with a 78-60 win over Belmont Abbey. The win was the Trojans' first over Belmont Abbey since 1996, snapping a streak of 19 consecutive losses to the Crusaders.

Teneal Boone has been the Trojans' go-to player for most of the season and Monday was no exception as the 6-1 senior scored 16 points and pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds. But in Monday's game, seemingly always had five go-to players on the floor.

Freshmen Tomeka Prichard and Meaghan Vanderhorst both notched career highs with 15 points apiece Monday. Vanderhorst scored all of her points in the first half to help spark the Trojans to an 18-point halftime lead. Prichard also recorded six assists and four blocked shots.

Sophomore center Sierra Medeiros recorded her first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, both career highs. Sophomore Keona Corley, a 5-5 point guard, matched a career high with eight rebounds and dished out nine assists.

The Trojans shattered their season averages in points and rebounds in Monday's contest. Mount Olive is averaging 64.8 points and 38.1 rebounds per game this season. Along with their highest single-game scoring total in more than a month, the Trojans outrebounded Belmont Abbey 51-32.

Lees-McRae (6-8, 3-4) is coming off a 77-55 loss Thursday at Limestone. Lees-McRae fell behind by scores of 21-0 and 28-2, and never recovered.

Stephanie Mullinax led Lees-McRae with 21 points, while Denise Wilson added 12 points, 11 rebounds and six steals.

Mount Olive swept the series last year, winning 65-50 at home and 61-49 at Lees-McRae. In the first meeting, Corley tallied seven points, eight rebounds, six assists and six steals.

The winner of Saturday's game will improve to .500 in conference play and could move into the top four in the CVAC standings.

NOTES: Including the second half of last Saturday's game against Erskine, Mount Olive has outscored its opponents 118-86 in its last 60 minutes (three halfs) of play ... Monday's win over Belmont Abbey marked the second time this season that both Prichard and Vanderhorst scored career highs in the same game. Both players had career-high scoring totals in the Trojans' win over Queens in November.

MOC Sports Information