MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Abigail Crain and Peyton Nation both recorded double-doubles as the Belmont Abbey women's basketball team defeated Mount Olive 70-40 at Kornegay Arena Monday night for its ninth straight victory.
 
Nation finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds on the day while also adding five assists, four steals and a blocked shot. Crain tallied 16 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in the winning effort for the Crusaders.
 
It is the first time since the 2021-22 season that Belmont Abbey has had two players record double-doubles in the same game. Brittany Autry and Keyanna Spivey reached that mark in a contest at King on December 15, 2021.
 
The victory improves Belmont Abbey to 14-5 overall and 8-1 in Conference Carolinas play while Mount Olive is now 3-12 overall and 1-6 in league play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Crusaders got off to a quick start offensively by making four of its first five field goals.
• Mount Olive got within a point at 8-7 before Belmont Abbey closed the quarter on a 7-0 run.
• Catherine Hendershott scored the first five points of the second quarter for The Abbey as the team held the Trojans scoreless for the first four minutes of the period.
• Hendershott finished with nine points and six rebounds for the contest.
• Nation was one rebound shy of a first-half double-double, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds.
• Belmont Abbey did not make a field goal in the third quarter until Crain's jumper with 4:23 remaining but the Crusaders finished the frame on a 14-5 run to further extend the lead.
• The run was sparked by a run of four straight Trojan turnovers. Belmont Abbey had 27 points off of turnovers compared to seven for Mount Olive.
• The Crusaders matched a season-high with 17 steals with Cate Schieber leading the way with a career-high six steals.
• Belmont Abbey did not trail in the contest for the second straight game and fifth time overall this season.
• Monday's game marked the seventh straight contest that the Crusaders allowed 50 points or less. The Abbey entered the contest seventh in the nation in scoring defense at 52.9 points per game.
• Belmont Abbey out-rebounded Mount Olive 42-26 and finished with 18 assists.

 
REGIONAL RANKING

• Earlier in the day, the team moved up two spots to No. 6 in the D2CSC Southeast Regional Poll that was released Monday.
• It is the highest ranking for the team since the opening weekend of the season when they were ranked fourth in the region.

 
UP NEXT

• The Crusaders continue their three-game road-trip with a game at Southern Wesleyan at 2 p.m. Saturday at Historic Tysinger Gymnasium in Central, S.C.