MOUNT OLIVE (Feb. 16) – Despite a career-high 42 points from senior guard
Michael Brown on Thursday night, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball team suffered a 105-104 loss in a high-scoring affair versus Emmanuel in Conference Carolinas action at Kornegay Arena.
With the loss, the Trojans fall to 9-17 overall with a 7-11 mark in conference action. Mount Olive currently sits in a tie for eighth place in the league standings with two games left in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Lions extend their 12-game winning streak and improve to 19-7 this season with a 15-3 record in league action.
Brown tallied the second-most points in a single game in UMO history after dropping 42 points on 13-of-23 shooting while making 12-of-15 from the free-throw line. He finished just two points behind the record set by 2022 Hall of Famer, Kendrick Easley, who scored 44 points in a single contest. Brown also registered a double-double with 10 assists, seven rebounds, and one steal while playing all 40 minutes.
Fellow senior
Trayvon Ferrell produced 18 points on six-of-nine shots with five rebounds and one assist in 30 minutes. Freshman
Shane Peterson scored 15 points in the loss after converting 9-of-11 from the charity stripe.
The Lions built an 11-8 advantage in the opening five minutes of the game after hitting four-of-six from the field, including a trio of three-pointers. UMO quickly answered with five-straight points to gain a 13-11 advantage before Emmanuel nailed another shot from beyond the arc, 14-13. The Trojans stormed back on offense by tallying seven of the following 10 points to take a 20-17 edge with 9:55 left in the half. The Lions managed to reclaim the advantage at 26-25, but Mount Olive mounted a 9-2 rally over the next two-plus minutes to take a 34-28 lead. UMO maintained the advantage over the final four minutes of the half while converting five-of-seven from the line to hold a 45-35 lead at the break.
The Trojans stretched the lead to 55-39 over the initial two minutes of the second half behind a pair of three-pointers. Emmanuel slowly chipped away at the deficit over the next couple of minutes closing the gap to single digits with 14:25 remaining, 57-48. Following a pull-up jumper from Brown, the Lions scored 11 unanswered points to tie the game at 59-59 before trading points over the next two minutes. In the following five minutes of the second half, Emmanuel registered a 15-3 run to take an 81-70 advantage with 4:38 left. The Lions maintained a double-digit lead until the final minute of the contest when Brown hit a floater as part of a 13-5 rally to cut the score to 100-97 with 17 seconds to go. Emmanuel held a 105-103 lead with three seconds left before Brown was fouled as the buzzer sounded and was awarded three shots at the line. Unfortunately, he converted just two-of-three shots, as the Lions escaped with a 105-104 win.
UMO finished the contest shooting 49.2 percent (32-of-65) from the floor while converting 12-of-30 (40.0 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Emmanuel posted a .564 field goal percentage (31-of-55) and made 36-of-45 (80.0 percent) from the charity stripe. The Trojans held a 35-29 rebounding advantage with 29 fastbreak points, while the Lions tallied 42 points in the paint.
Junior KJ Jones II finished with a team-high 36 points on 8-of-10 shooting while converting a perfect 18-of-18 from the free-throw line. He also added three rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 28 minutes after battling first-half foul trouble. Freshman Tavarus Webb totaled 24 points on 7-of-12 attempts with three rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 31 minutes. Junior Jeremiah Francis registered 18 points and five rebounds in 30 minutes, while sophomore Kendal Latney posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds in 37 minutes.
Mount Olive returns to the court on Saturday, Feb. 18, when it travels to face Erskine in conference play, starting at 4 p.m.
