BRISTOL, Tenn. (Dec. 17) – Senior Michael Brown matched a career-high with 32 points on Saturday afternoon, as the Trojans claimed their first conference win of the season in a 100-91 victory at King in Conference Carolinas play.

With the win, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball team improves to 3-8 overall behind a 1-3 mark in conference action. It marked the first win for the Trojans in Bristol since the 2017 season. Meanwhile, King drops to 3-8 this season with 2-3 record in league play.

Brown tied a career-high with 32 points on 11-of-22 shooting while adding 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. He also totaled five rebounds and six assists while playing all 40 minutes. The Virginia native registered his second career 30-point performance, both occurring on the road at King. He scored 32 points last season on Jan. 29 in Bristol. Brown is one of three players in the conference averaging over 20 points per game this season.

Freshman Shane Peterson finished with 14 points after converting four-of-five from the field with three treys in 23 minutes, while junior Derreco Miller contributed 13 points on six-of-nine shots with four rebounds and two blocks in 22 minutes off the bench. Freshman Brent Randleman tallied 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists in 22 minutes off the bench. Senior Trayvon Ferrell produced 11 points, four rebounds, and two steals in 15 minutes.

The Tornado established an early 9-6 advantage after making three-of-five from the field before UMO mounted a 7-2 rally to claim a 13-11 lead with 13:14 left. King regained the advantage with a layup, but the Trojans went on a 12-4 run, led by Brown with seven points, to hold a 25-18 lead with 7:46 remaining in the first half. The Tornado managed to cut the deficit to 31-25 after converting a perfect three-of-three shooting. Mount Olive scored eight of the following 11 points to extend the advantage to 39-28 with 3:36 left before King closed the gap with seven-straight points, 39-35. Both teams exchanged points down the stretch, as UMO held a 47-43 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Trojans made four-of-seven shots over the opening three-plus minutes, led by Ferrell with five points, to build the advantage to 56-48. King remained within striking distance over the initial five minutes of the second before UMO used a 14-4 run to stretch the lead to 74-58 with 10:26 left. The Tornado kept the contest competitive after sinking five-of-six from the floor, including a pair of three-pointers, to trail 84-77 with 5:10 remaining. Brown led the team down the stretch with nine points, as the Trojans made a perfect five-of-five shots to seal the win, 100-91.

UMO shot at a 53.4 clip (38-of-70) from the floor after going 15-of-21 (71.4 percent) from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, King finished the game shooting 52.2 percent (35-of-67) and converted 6-of-18 (33.3 percent) from three-point range. The Trojans held a 39-31 rebounding advantage and scored 56 points in the paint. The Tornado finished with 44 points in the paint in the loss.

King featured four players in double figures with all four players scoring 16 points. Senior Brandon Lamberth finished with 16 points on seven-of-nine shooting with six rebounds in 28 minutes, while sophomore Jaylen Bernard totaled 16 on six-of-nine attempts with two rebounds, three assists, and one block in 29 minutes. Senior Michael Mays and sophomore Kenny Turner also finished with double-digit points.

Mount Olive is idle for two weeks over the holiday break and will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 31, when it travels to face Wingate in non-conference play, starting at 4 p.m.