MOUNT OLIVE (Dec. 5) – Despite overcoming a 13-point deficit at halftime, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball team suffered an 81-78 loss versus Shaw in non-conference play at Kornegay Arena.

With the loss, the Trojans fall to 1-8 overall with four losses this season coming by five points or fewer. In the series, the teams meet for a consecutive year with Shaw holding a 2-1 edge dating back to 2013. Meanwhile, the Bears improve to 3-2 this season after playing their first game in nearly three weeks.

Sophomore Shane Peterson produced a team-high 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting while converting four-of-eight from beyond the arc. He also added six rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 37 minutes. Redshirt sophomore Redford Dunton tallied 14 points on five-of-eight attempts with two rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes.

Freshman Josiah Watkins scored 13 points on six-of-nine shots with four rebounds, two assists, and three steals in 25 minutes. Sophomore Aaron Murphy finished with 12 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes, while fellow sophomore Trey Nelson registered a double-double with 11 points, 11 assists, three rebounds, and one steal while playing all 40 minutes.

The Trojans established an early 10-7 advantage behind a pair of three-pointers from Peterson in the initial four-plus minutes. The Bears countered with a 9-2 rally on three-of-four shooting to take a 16-12 lead before Peterson nailed another three to cut the deficit to 16-15 with 11:43 left. The teams traded points over the next four minutes before UMO scored six straight points to take a 27-25 advantage. Shaw made seven-of-eight from the floor to finish the first half on a 19-4 run, as the Trojans trailed 44-31 at the break.

In the second half, Shaw totaled five unanswered points to hold a 49-31 lead, but the Trojans responded with a 12-3 rally behind seven points by Murphy to cut the deficit to 52-43. UMO managed to close the gap to 57-52 with 9:29 remaining before eventually trailing 61-59 after a three-pointer by Peterson. The Bears answered with a layup before Dunton scored six consecutive points to put UMO head by a 65-63 margin with 5:46 left. The teams traded points over the next three-plus minutes before Shaw tallied six of the next eight points to hold a 79-75 lead with 13 seconds to go. Dunton hit a three to close the gap to 79-78, but the Bears sealed the win at the free-throw line, 81-78.

UMO shot at a 49.2 clip (29-of-59) from the floor while going 10-of-23 (43.5 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Shaw finished the game shooting 54.2 percent (26-of-48) and converted 23-of-29 (79.3 percent) from the free-throw line. The Trojans finished with a 32-25 rebounding advantage with 34 points in the paint, while the Bears registered 48 points off the bench.

Sophomore Ahmil Flowers scored a game-high 22 points on a perfect eight-of-eight shooting while adding three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and three blocks in 25 minutes off the bench. Senior Shayne Siago finished with 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists in 31 minutes, while fellow senior D.J. Thomas totaled 16 points in 30 minutes on Tuesday.

Mount Olive returns to the court on Saturday, Dec. 9, when it faces North Georgia in non-conference play, starting at 3:30 p.m.