MOUNT OLIVE — Sophomore guard Laila Anderson delivered a career-high 32 points, as the Trojans captured a 68-53 win over Lees-McRae on Saturday afternoon in the opening game of Conference Carolinas play at Kornegay Arena.

With the win, the University of Mount Olive women’s basketball team improved to 2-3 this season with a 1-0 mark in league action. The Trojans have won the last four meetings in the series and open Conference Carolinas play with a win for a third straight year. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae drops to 1-4 overall with a 0-1 record in conference action under first-year head coach Quante Lee.

Anderson finished with 32 points on 13-of-18 shooting, including four-of-six from beyond the arc on Saturday. She also contributed two rebounds, one assist, and three steals while playing 39 minutes. After missing the previous game due to injury, Anderson scored 20 points in the first half in her return. In four games this season, she is averaging 17.5 points and 4.3 steals per game.

Senior Asia Smith tallied eight points, nine rebounds, one assist, four steals, and four blocks in 27 minutes, while junior Tiandria Tucker produced eight points and six rebounds in 21 minutes. Fellow senior Reagan Hune registered eight points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals in 30 minutes. Junior Alexis Durham totaled seven points, three rebounds, three assists, and seven steals in 27 minutes off the bench.

In the first quarter, Anderson scored eight of the initial nine points for the Trojans to take an early 9-2 edge in the opening three-plus minutes. Smith followed with a layup before Anderson converted five unanswered points to stretch the lead to 16-2 with 2:45 left. The Bobcats responded with a 6-1 rally to trim the deficit to 17-8 before Smith hit a layup to take a 19-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. Hune started the second quarter with a layup, but Lees-McRae answered with five of the following eight points to close the gap to 24-13. With UMO holding a 27-17 lead with 3:31 remaining in the second, Anderson nailed a three-pointer before the teams exchanged points over the final three minutes. Mount Olive went into the break with a 33-22 advantage.

The Bobcats hit a jumper to start the third quarter, but the Trojans responded with a 9-2 run on four-of-five shooting to build the lead to 42-26 with 6:36 left. The sides traded points over the final six minutes of the third, as UMO held a 52-38 edge heading into the last quarter. Lees-McRae cut the deficit to single-digits with 7:28 remaining behind a 7-2 rally before Anderson hit another three-pointer to extend the lead, 57-45. Mount Olive finished the game on an 11-4 run after shooting a perfect five-of-five from the line to secure the win, 68-53.

UMO finished the contest shooting a season-high 42.4 percent (25-of-59) from the floor while converting 14-of-22 (63.6 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae posted a .382 field goal percentage (21-of-55) and made 11-of-15 (73.3 percent) from the charity stripe. The Trojans recorded a 32-30 rebounding advantage with 29 points scored off 31 turnovers, while the Bobcats registered 32 points in the paint.

Junior Leah Barringer led the Bobcats with 10 points while tallying six rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 29 minutes of action. Senior Emily Barr finished with eight points, six rebounds, one steal, and one block in 21 minutes, while sophomore Logan Dutka also totaled eight points on four-of-four shooting in nine minutes off the bench.

The Trojans return to Kornegay Arena on Dec. 5 to face Shaw in non-conference play with a tip-off set for 5 p.m.