MOUNT OLIVE (Dec. 30) – The Trojans featured six players in double-figures, led by sophomore guard Shane Peterson with 18 points, in an 87-82 double-overtime loss against Wingate on Saturday afternoon in non-conference action.

With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball team fall to 1-11 this season behind a 1-5 record at home. It marks the first time the Trojans went to double-overtime since they suffered a 105-100 defeat at Barton in triple-overtime in 2019. Meanwhile, Wingate secures a fourth straight win to improve to 8-3 overall with a 5-1 record versus Conference Carolinas opponents.

Peterson totaled 18 points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in 48 minutes of action. Sophomore Aaron Murphy produced 15 points on 5-of-11 attempts with two rebounds and one assist in 27 minutes off the bench. Fellow sophomore Trey Nelson contributed 13 points, two rebounds, six assists, and one steal in 45 minutes.

Freshman Kahlif Barnes finished with a season-high 11 points while recording seven rebounds and one block in 23 minutes. Fellow freshman Josiah Watkins tallied 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting with five rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 29 minutes. Redshirt sophomore Redford Dunton registered 11 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one block in 24 minutes.

The Bulldogs held an early 6-2 advantage in the initial three-plus minutes of the contest before UMO countered with 11 consecutive points behind five different scorers to take a 13-6 lead. Following a two-minute scoreless drought, Wingate scored seven unanswered points to tie the game at 13-13 with 7:04 remaining in the first half. Mount Olive tallied seven of the next nine points to regain a 20-15 advantage, but the Bulldogs responded with an 8-0 rally to hold a 23-20 edge. Murphy made a pair from the free-throw line with 1:28 left, as the Trojans trailed 23-22 at the break.

The teams exchanged points in the opening three minutes of the second half before Wingate mounted a 9-3 run to stretch the lead to 42-35 with 13:22 remaining. UMO closed the gap with five straight points, but the Bulldogs scored seven of the following eight points to remain ahead by a 49-41 margin. With 5:57 left in regulation, Peterson tallied eight consecutive points for the Trojans to cut the deficit to 58-57. Wingate countered with a jumper before Mount Olive scored five straight points to take a 62-60 lead with 20 seconds left. The Bulldogs made a layup in the final seconds to tie the game at 62-62 and send it to overtime.

In the first overtime, both sides hit a three-pointer in the initial minute before trading the lead over the next minute. Mount Olive made back-to-back jumpers to take a 73-69 edge with 1:45 left before Wingate made a pair of baskets to tie the game with 28 seconds to go. Following a timeout, UMO fired a turn-around jumper with 1.7 seconds left that missed the mark.

The Bulldogs established a 79-75 lead in the second overtime following a 6-2 run before Dunton made three-of-three from the line to close the gap to 81-78. Wingate converted six-of-six from the free-throw line in the final minute to secure the 87-82 victory.

Mount Olive finished the contest shooting 29-of-82 (35.4 percent) from the floor while converting 75.0 percent (15-of-20) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Wingate posted a .373 field goal percentage (28-of-75) and made 22-of-25 (88.0 percent) from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs finished with a 53-47 rebounding advantage while scoring 46 points in the paint. The Trojans totaled 22 points off 20 forced turnovers and recorded 18 points off the bench.

Junior Josh Massey posted his fifth double-double of the season after scoring 20 points and pulling down 14 rebounds while playing 40 minutes. Senior Donell Nixon II finished with 15 points, six rebounds, five assists, and one steal in 44 minutes. Junior Kendall Taylor contributed 13 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and two blocks in 37 minutes on the court.

The Trojans return to Conference Carolinas play on Wednesday, Jan. 3, when they face Francis Marion at Kornegay Arena, starting at 7:00 p.m.