WINGATE, N.C. (Dec. 31) – Despite a pair of 20-point performances from seniors Michael Brown and Kaeleb Carter on Saturday afternoon, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball team suffered a 102-90 loss at Wingate in non-conference play.

With the loss, the Trojans fall to 3-9 this season behind a 2-2 mark on the road. The two sides meet for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign with the Bulldogs winning six of the last seven games in the series. Meanwhile, Wingate remains undefeated at home and improves to 8-4 overall with a 4-0 record against Conference Carolinas programs.

Brown tallied his eighth 20-point performance of the year after netting a game-high 26 points on 9-of-19 from the floor with three treys. He also dished out eight assists and collected four rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. Brown continues to pace the conference with 6.4 assists per game while ranking third in the league with 21.0 points per game.

Carter registered a season-high 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting while adding six rebounds and two steals in 20 minutes. The senior transfer from UVA-Wise has started the last three games for the Trojans and is averaging 8.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season.

Freshman Shane Peterson matched his season-high 15 points on 5-of-10 from the field, including four-of-nine from beyond the arc. He also totaled two rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 35 minutes. Fellow freshman Colin Radcliffe scored a season-high 13 points off the bench, while sophomore Isaiah Bridges tallied 10 points and eight rebounds in his first career start.

The Trojans open the contest by converting three-of-three from long-range to establish a 9-0 advantage. The Bulldogs countered with a 23-9 run stretching over seven-plus minutes to hold a 23-18 lead with 9:10 remaining in the half. Brown halted the run with a layup as part of an 11-2 rally by Mount Olive to regain the advantage, 29-25. Wingate once again responded by making four-of-five from the floor to take a 36-34 lead with 1:42 left before halftime. Bridges made a three-pointer to put UMO ahead 37-36, but the Bulldogs closed the half with five unanswered to hold a 41-37 advantage at the break.

In the second half, Wingate mounted an 11-3 run in the initial three minutes to extend the lead to 52-40 with 17:16 remaining. Brown led the rally with seven-straight points to cut the deficit to 52-47 before the Bulldogs converted a perfect four-of-four to rebuild the lead to 61-52. Over the next six-plus minutes, the Trojans managed to close the gap to 74-70 with 7:19 left after Brown paced the team with seven points and UMO made four treys. Wingate quickly stretched the advantage back to double-digits after a pair of three-pointers with under six minutes left before sealing the contest on the free-throw line making 10-of-11 shots to win by a 102-90 margin.

UMO finished the contest shooting 43.9 percent (29-of-66) from the floor while converting 18-of-43 (41.9 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Wingate posted a .538 field goal percentage (35-of-65) and made 13-of-31 (41.9 percent) from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs held a 42-33 rebounding advantage with 38 points in the paint, while the Trojans totaled 26 points off 14 turnovers forced.

Sophomore Destin Clark registered a double-double with 22 points on 7-of-10 from the field with 15 rebounds, five assists, and one block in 33 minutes. Junior Donell Nixon II also posted a double-double with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting with 10 assists and three rebounds in 30 minutes. Fellow junior Seam Elmore finished with 17 points on 6-of-11 shots, including five-of-nine from three-point range in 28 minutes.

The Trojans return to conference action on Wednesday, Jan. 4, when they host Southern Wesleyan in Kornegay Arena, starting at 7 p.m.