Box Score MURFREESBORO- The Chowan University women's basketball team suffered an 88-81 setback against the University of Mount Olive on Tuesday evening. The Hawks move to 7-2 on the year with the loss while the Trojans improve to 5-2 on the season with the win.
Ni'Ya Styles led all players in the contest with 33 points for Mount Olive. Felecity Havens notched 22 points and 14 rebounds (two offensive, 12 defensive) while Kiara Jones added 17 points and 13 rebounds (five offensive, eight defensive).
Danielle Weldon led the effort for the Hawks with 13 points in the loss.
Courtni Williams tallied 11 points for Chowan while
Shaikeyla Jordan and
Dhyamond Crenshaw both scored 10 points over the course of the competition.
Jordan Payne hauled in a team-high 12 rebounds (nine offensive, three defensive).
After exchanging baskets at the start of the contest, the Hawks held a narrow 11-9 advantage at the 6:25 mark. Havens' three-pointer and jumper followed by a three-pointer by Styles left Chowan trailing 17-11 with 5:12 on the clock. Mount Olive extended their lead to as many as 12 points (27-15) before closing out the first quarter with a 27-19 advantage.
The Trojans built on the momentum in the second quarter and carried a 46-38 advantage into the halftime break.
Mount Olive held a 52-42 lead at the 7:55 mark in the third quarter before a jumper by Williams led to a 14-3 run for Chowan. The Hawks held onto the momentum and led by as many as four points (61-57) with 1:13 on the clock but headed into the final quarter trailing 62-61.
Chowan fought to stay within striking distance over the course of the last ten minutes of play. Payne's layup at the 7:30 mark pushed the Hawks ahead 67-66. Mount Olive promptly answered with back-to-back buckets to pull away 70-66. The Trojans maintained the lead for the remainder of the contest; leading by as many as 10 points (88-78) before capturing the 88-81 win on Chowan's home court.
The Hawks return to action on Saturday when Chowan plays host to Shaw University. Tip-off for the CIAA Southern Division match-up is slated for 5pm.
