MOUNT OLIVE (Dec. 10) – Despite scoring 32 points off a season-high 19 turnovers, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball fell in closing minutes against No. 17 UNC Pembroke by a 68-63 margin at Kornegay Arena on Saturday night in Conference Carolinas action.

With the loss, the Trojans fall to 2-8 this season behind an 0-3 mark in league play. Mount Olive have now lost five games by six points or less this season. Meanwhile, the nationally-ranked Braves improve to 9-1 overall with a 2-1 record in conference action while remaining undefeated on the road.

Senior Michael Brown paced all players with 22 points on 7-of-17 from the floor while making seven-of-eight from the free-throw line. He also totaled three rebounds, three assists and one steal while playing all 40 minutes. Brown has scored in double-figures in all 10 games this season with six 20-point performances. He currently sits third in the conference with 19.4 points per game.

Fellow senior Trayvon Ferrell finished with 14 points after converting seven-of-eight from the line. He also added five rebounds and two steals in 34 minutes. Senior Kaeleb Carter registered nine points, four rebounds, two steals and one block in 22 minutes, while freshman Shane Peterson tallied seven points and three rebounds in 32 minutes of play.

Mount Olive jumped out to an early 13-4 lead after knocking down 6-of-13 field goals and forcing six turnovers in the opening six minutes. UNC Pembroke countered with seven-straight points to trim the deficit to 13-11 with 10:55 left in the half before UMO scored back-to-back buckets to hold a 17-11 advantage. Over the next six-plus minutes, the Braves mounted a 16-5 run to take a 27-22 lead with 2:32 remaining in the first while also limiting Mount Olive to just one-of-eight shooting. Ferrell responded with five-straight points to tie the game at 27-27 before UNCP took a 31-29 lead into halftime.

The Trojans scored seven unanswered points to begin the second half and established a 36-31 advantage. UNCP rallied back with a 9-3 run to reclaim the lead 40-39 with 12:17 left to play before UMO pulled back ahead 48-42 behind three-of-six shooting, including a perfect three-of-three from the free-throw line. The Braves scored eight of the following 10 points to tie the contest at 50-50 with 7:35 remaining before both teams exchanged points over the next four minutes. UNCP held a 64-61 lead with 1:19 left before Carter converted a pair of free-throws to close the gap to 64-63 with 54 seconds left. The Braves scored the final four points of the game over the last 27 seconds to secure the win, 68-63.

UMO finished the contest shooting 33.9 percent (20-of-59) from the floor while converting 20-of-26 (76.9 percent) from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, UNCP posted a .500 field goal percentage (25-of-50) and made 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) from beyond the arc. The Braves held a 39-32 rebounding advantage with 38 points in the paint, while the Trojans totaled 17 fastbreak points and 30 points in the paint.

Sophomore Bradlee Haskell recorded a team-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting with two rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes. Redshirt senior K.J. Walker totaled 11 points on four-of-seven from the field with two rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes off the bench, while redshirt sophomore Elijah Cobb finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks in 27 minutes.

The Trojans are idle for the week before returning to action on Saturday, Dec. 17, when they travel to face King in Conference Carolinas play, starting at 4:30 p.m.