MOUNT OLIVE (Dec. 2) – Sophomores Redford Dunton and Shane Peterson each recorded a double-double on Saturday evening, as the Trojans suffered a narrow 86-84 defeat to Lees-McRae at Kornegay Arena in the Conference Carolinas opener.

With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball team falls to 1-7 overall with a 0-1 mark in conference play. In the series, the Bobcats snap a four-game skid to the Trojans and earn their first win since 2021. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae stretches its winning streak to six straight to improve to 6-1 this season with a 1-0 record in league action.

Dunton registered a double-double after scoring a game-high 20 points on 6-of-13 attempts while grabbing 10 rebounds in 35 minutes. He collected his third 20-point performance of the season and leads the team with 15.4 points per game. Peterson delivered a double-double with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting with five three-pointers and 10 rebounds in 37 minutes of action.

Sophomore Aaron Murphy produced 15 points on 5-of-11 shots with five rebounds in 22 minutes, while freshman Josiah Watkins contributed nine points, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 31 minutes. Sophomore Trey Nelson totaled eight points, two rebounds, and six assists in 36 minutes. Freshman Kahlif Barnes registered a season-high 12 rebounds while scoring seven points in 16 minutes off the bench.

Lees-McRae opened the contest with an ally-oop dunk before the Trojans scored eight unanswered points from Dunton, including a pair of three-pointers, 8-2. The Bobcats converted four-of-six shooting over the next three minutes to take a 12-10 edge with 15:24 left. Peterson responded with a three-pointer to regain the lead before both sides exchanged points over the next six-plus minutes. With 6:14 left, Lees-McRae held a 37-34 lead before going on a 10-4 run to stretch the advantage to 47-38. The Trojans made three-of-four shots to finish the first half, as the Bobcats held a 51-45 lead at the break.

In the second half, Lees-McRae quickly extended the advantage to 56-47, but Mount Olive responded with an 8-2 rally to cut the deficit to 58-55 with 14:28 remaining. The Bobcats managed to extend the lead to nine points, 69-60, with 10:37 left before the Trojans scored six consecutive points to trail by a 69-66 margin. Lees-McRae held a 76-68 edge with 6:26 left, but UMO rallied again with a 15-7 run with five ties during that stretch. The Bobcats held an 86-84 lead before a technical foul was called on a dunk and Nelson hit the free-throw to close the gap to 86-84. The Trojans had a game-winning shot from near mid-court fall short, as Lees-McRae escaped with the win.

Mount Olive finished the contest shooting 27-of-66 (40.9 percent) from the floor while converting 73.1 percent (19-of-26) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae posted a .508 field goal percentage (31-of-61) and made 18-of-28 (64.3 percent) from the charity stripe. The Trojans finished with a significant 45-29 rebounding advantage while scoring 28 second-chance points. The Bobcats totaled 46 points in the paint and scored 35 points off the bench.

Senior Jaylin Stewart finished with 17 points on five-of-eight shooting while converting 7-of-11 from the free-throw line in 21 minutes. Junior Nico Ashley tallied 15 points, six rebounds, and three blocks in 22 minutes. Junior Ja'Quavian Florence contributed 14 points with four rebounds, while seniors Jeremy Golson and Sidney Dollar scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Trojans return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 5, when they face Shaw in non-conference action at Kornegay Arena, starting at 7 p.m.