Mount Olive Falls To Columbus State 75-64 At AASU Fall Finals Classic

SAVANNAH, GA. – Shequanta McGee led four players in double figures with 16 points, but Mount Olive was unable to overcome an early scoring run as the Trojans fell to Columbus State 75-64 in day two of the 2010 Hampton Inn & Suites Women’s Basketball Fall Finals Classic Saturday at Savannah, Ga. Mount Olive, which split its two games in the tournament, cut a 13-point deficit down to five, but could not get any closer.

Jasmine Whitby recorded her third double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Laporsha Davis hit 3-of-5 three-pointers and finished with 13 points. Brittany Miller added 11 points for the Trojans. Mount Olive shot only 32.2 percent from the field, but used free throw shooting and rebounding to stay in the game. The Trojans were 20-of-21 from the line and outrebounded Columbus State 42-41.

McGee, who shot 100 percent from the field in Friday’s 86-66 win over tournament host Armstrong Atlantic State – 6-for-6 from three-point range and 9-for-9 overall – hit a layup and a three-pointer on her first two field goal attempts Saturday. But her streak came to an end on a missed three-pointer with 2:05 left in the first half. McGee finished 5-for-8 from the field Saturday, including 2-for-4 from three-point range. She was also 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

The game was tied two minutes into the contest when Columbus State went on a 14-1 run to take an 18-5 lead with 12:27 left in the first half. Marah Wright hit a pair of three-pointers during the run as the Cougars went on top to stay.

Mount Olive (4-4) still trailed by 13 at halftime, but three-pointers by McGee and Miller pulled the Trojans within 38-31 with 15:27 left to play. Columbus State (6-3) stretched the lead back to 13 before Davis’ three-pointer capped a Trojan run and brought Mount Olive within 48-43 with 9:28 remaining. But that was as close as the Trojans would get.

The margin never grew above 13 points, but Columbus State maintained at least a three-possession lead for the remainder of the contest. The Cougars scored their final 12 points of the game from the free throw line to seal the win.

In the first half, Davis’ three-pointer with 11:38 remaining ended a six-minute Trojan drought without a field goal. Mount Olive was still down by 13 late in the half when McGee and Andrea Jones combined on 4-of-4 free throws to pull the Trojans within 28-21 with 2:54 left before halftime. But Wright hit another three-pointer for Columbus State and Mount Olive was unable to score again as the Trojans went into the locker room down 34-21.

Columbus State was led by Dominique Gilbert, who notched a double-double with game highs of 21 points and 15 rebounds. Tandria Milton added 12 points, while Wright and Nakita Holt finished with 11 points apiece. The Cougars were 23-for-38 from the free throw line.

Mount Olive is off until December 30 when the Trojans play host to St. Paul’s in a non-conference match-up. Tip-off is 4 p.m. at Kornegay Arena.

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