Women's CVAC basketball: Mount Olive travels to in-state rival St. Andrews today

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on February 28, 2007 2:30 PM

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In each of the last four years, the Mount Olive women's basketball team has won its first game in the conference tournament. If the Trojans can do it again this year, it'll mean a trip to the "final four."

Mount Olive opens tournament play tonight as the fifth-seeded Trojans travel to Laurinburg to take on No. 4 seed St. Andrews in the quarterfinal round of the 2007 Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference Women's Basketball Tournament. Tip-off is 7 p.m.

Mount Olive (15-12 overall, 11-9 CVAC) concluded regular season play Saturday with a 68-56 victory over nationally 21st-ranked Anderson, the Trojans' first-ever win over an NCAA II Top 25 team. Brittney Robich scored 20 points, while Helen Moore tallied a double-double with 16 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.

Along with Saturday's win against Anderson, the Trojans posted an 80-71 victory on the road two weeks ago at Barton, which received votes in the national poll. Trojan senior Tilah Worthy says her team needs a similar effort tonight.

"We need to come out tonight and play with the same kind of energy we had against Anderson and Barton," said Worthy, who played her final home game Saturday. "We didn't have that in the first two games against St. Andrews this year."

St. Andrews (19-8, 15-5) swept the regular season series, winning 58-53 at Kornegay Arena in December and 67-60 earlier this month at Laurinburg. Worthy matched a career best with 12 in the second meeting as Mount Olive rallied from an eight-point second-half deficit before the Knights pulled away at the end.

"I'm glad we're getting another shot at St. Andrews," said Worthy, the Trojans' lone senior. "Both games were very close and both teams will be going hard at it."

Worthy has the distinction of owning the most Trojan women's basketball career wins since Mount Olive reclassified to NCAA Division II in 1995. The Trojans finished above .500 in conference play for the first time in more than a decade and are assured of back-to-back winning seasons overall.

"I feel like this program is continually building," said Worthy. "I think we're starting to get more respect around the league."