WILSON, N.C. (Nov. 11) – Following a competitive first-half, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball team were outscored by double-figures over the final 20 minutes in an 89-66 loss versus Columbus State on the final day of the Barton 45-Second Classic on Saturday afternoon.
With the loss, the Trojans start the 2023-24 season with an 0-2 mark and will return home next weekend for the 58th annual Pickle Classic for a pair of contests. The two sides met for the fourth consecutive year with Columbus State claiming the last three matchups. Meanwhile, the Cougars improves to 2-0 on the season after being selected sixth in preseason Peach Belt Conference (PBC) poll.
Sophomore
Aaron Murphy earned his first career start and tallied 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting with four rebounds, and one block in 20 minutes of action. Fellow sophomore
Brent Randleman finished with 11 points on five-of-nine shots with two rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 28 minutes.
Sophomores
Shane Peterson and
Colin Radcliffe each contributed eight points in the loss, while teammate
Trey Nelson produced seven points, three assists, and two steals in 22 minutes.
Columbus State hit a three-pointer to start the contest before Mount Olive answered with a 10-2 run, led by Peterson with a pair of threes, to take a 10-5 edge at the 17:10 mark. The Cougars countered with their own 10-2 run to reclaim the lead at 15-12 before eventually stretching the advantage to 23-13 with 10:39 left in the first half. The Trojan offense surged back with nine unanswered points on four-of-six shooting to trail 23-22, but Columbus State quickly responded with an 11-2 run to extend the lead back to 10 points, 34-24. The Trojans cut the deficit to 38-34 with four different players scoring before the Cougars converted three shots from the line to hold a 41-34 lead at halftime.
In the second half, UMO hit a jumper in the opening seconds before Columbus State mounted a 12-2 run with a pair of three-pointers to take a 53-38 advantage. The two teams traded points over the following four-plus minutes, as Mount Olive trailed by a 59-47 margin with 10:32 left. The Cougars offense remained in rhythm behind a 15-4 run to extend the lead to 74-51. Over the final six minutes, the Trojans converted 6-of-13 from the floor, led by Randleman with seven points, as Columbus State secured the 89-66 win.
UMO shot at a 41.3 clip (26-of-63) from the floor while going just 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Columbus State finished the game shooting 45.1 percent (32-of-71) and converted 16-of-21 (76.2 percent) from the free-throw line. The Cougars finished with a 52-30 rebounding advantage with 22 second-chance points, while the Trojans registered 22 points off the bench.
Junior Jarrett Adderton delivered 18 points, three rebounds, one assist, and six steals in 28 minutes, while senior Marquis Davison also contributed 18 points with nine rebounds in 23 minutes. Junior Jydon Hall finished with 13 points, two rebounds, and two assists, while senior Jehloni James registered a double-double with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks.
Mount Olive returns to the court on Tuesday, Nov. 14, when it faces Winston-Salem State on the road in non-conference play, starting at 7 p.m.
