WILSON, N.C. (Nov. 19) – The University of Mount Olive men's basketball team fell in the closing seconds by a 96-95 margin versus Coker on Saturday afternoon in non-conference play at the 45 Second Classic.

With the loss, the Trojans drop to 1-4 overall with all losses coming by five or fewer points this season. Meanwhile, the Cobras improve to 4-1 this year while playing all their contests against teams from the Conference Carolinas.

Senior Michael Brown unleashed another electric performance leading all players with 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting with seven assists and five rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. A John Handley product, he is pacing the conference with 37 assists this season while continuing to average over 20 points per game.

Fellow senior Trayvon Ferrell delivered a season-high 21 points on 7-of-11 from the field and converted six-of-six from the free-throw line with seven rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Freshman Shane Peterson reached double-figures for a second-straight game after tallying 18 points on six-of-nine shooting from beyond the arc with four rebounds in 28 minutes. Freshman Brent Randleman notched 15 points on five-of-nine shots with three rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.

In the initial four minutes of the contest, Mount Olive built a 13-6 advantage after converting four-of-five from three-point range. The Cobras trimmed the deficit to 13-11 before the Trojans extended the lead to 20-14 with 11:52 remaining. Over a three-minute stretch, Coker responded with a 14-6 run to take the lead 28-26 with 8:44 left after making five-of-six shots. With five minutes left in the first half, Coker held a 36-31 advantage before UMO countered with a 22-9 rally, led by Randleman with 10 points to take a 53-25 lead into the break.

The Trojans continued the offensive pressure over the opening five minutes of the second half after making six-of-nine shots with three treys to build the advantage to 70-53 with 14:48 remaining. The Cobras answered with a 20-9 rally to close the gap to 79-73 with 9:10 left after converting 8-of-11 shots. Coker eventually regained the lead 87-86 with 4:51 remaining before the contest was tied three different times in the closing minutes. The Cobras grabbed the lead 94-93 with 31 seconds left before Brown converted to put UMO ahead, 95-94, with 26 seconds to go. Coker countered with another basket with five seconds left before Ferrell missed a running floater at the buzzer to fall by a score of 96-95.

UMO finished the contest shooting a season-high 57.9 percent (33-of-57) from the floor while knocking down 10-of-24 from three-point range. Meanwhile, Coker posted a .493 field goal percentage (35-of-71) and shot 19-of-23 (82.6 percent) from the free-throw line. The Trojans held a 37-30 rebounding advantage with 36 points in the paint. The Cobras totaled 52 points in the paint and scored 34 points off the bench.

Sophomore Demar Anderson finished with 25 points on 7-of-14 from the field and converted 10-of-11 from the charity stripe with six rebounds in 34 minutes. Junior Jordan Jones registered a double-double with 21 points on 8-of-15 shots with 10 assists, five rebounds, and three steals in 34 minutes. Sophomore Zavier Measmer and junior Tate Mulkey scored 18 and 10 points, respectively, in the win.

The Trojans return to action on Monday, Nov. 21, when they travel to face UNC Wilmington in an exhibition at the Trask Coliseum, starting at 7 p.m.