Due West, S.C. – With a strong defensive effort, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball team dashed past Erskine, 61-45, on Tuesday night in Due West, S.C.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Mount Olive 61, Erskine 45
Records: Mount Olive (5-14, 4-7 CC), Erskine (7-11, 3-7 CC)
Location: Belk Arena, Due West, S.C.

How It Happened
Play-by-Play

FIRST HALF

• Freshman Tyler Thomas knocked down a three just 47 seconds into the game to open up the scoring in the contest.
• A 7-0 run helped UMO's lead swell to eight at 16-8 with 11:08 left in the first period.
• The Trojans' advantage first hit double-digits with 8:21 left in the half as freshman Juwan Smith drained a three-pointer to increase UMO's lead to 21-11.
• With just seven seconds remaining in the period, junior DeAndre Barber buried a three to give the Trojans a 35-20 lead at the break.

SECOND HALF

• UMO did not relent in the second frame as Mount Olive pulled out to an 18-point lead at 42-24 on a layup by Barber with 14:13 remaining in the half.
• Just a few minutes later, Erskine trimmed its deficit to just 11 at 42-31, but the Trojans answered with a free throw by freshman Armond Griebe and a jumper by sophomore Jamaal Matin that increased UMO's lead back to 14 at 45-31 with 10:25 to play.
• The Fleet threatened again, cutting Mount Olive's lead to 10 at 45-35, but UMO raced back out to a 16-point advantage with 5:21 remaining on the clock.
• The final five minutes proved uneventful as the Trojans held their ground to gain a 61-45 victory over Erskine.
• The Trojans held the lead for 39:13 of a possible 40 minutes after gaining a 3-0 advantage on Thomas' three-pointer, never allowing Erskine to hold a lead.

KEY STATS

• Leading the Trojans was Matin with 16 points in the win.
• Junior Tayon Gleaves added 11 points and five boards for UMO.
• UMO outshot Erskine, 53.3% to 37%, and won the rebounding battle, 31-26.
• The Trojans held Erskine to just 45 points, the least a UMO opponent has scored since Mount Olive held Pfeiffer to 42 in a 58-42 victory on January 10, 2015 in Kornegay Arena.

UP NEXT
Mount Olive will travel for a weekend doubleheader in South Carolina. The Trojans open the weekend with a 7:30 p.m. matchup on Friday with Southern Wesleyan before facing Limestone on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.