MOUNT OLIVE (Jan. 17) – The Trojans featured four players in double-figures and tallied 34 points off the bench after battling in an 88-84 loss against Chowan on Wednesday night in Conference Carolinas action at Kornegay Arena.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball program drop to 3-13 this season with a 2-4 record in league action. It marked the first meeting between the sides since UMO defeated the Hawks in the second round of the Conference Carolinas Championship last year. Meanwhile, Chowan improves to 11-6 overall with a 5-3 mark in conference play.
Redshirt sophomore
Redford Dunton finished with a team-high 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting with four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block in 27 minutes. He paces the Trojans with 15.0 points per game with 12 games in double-figures this season.
Sophomore
Aaron Murphy registered 16 points on five-of-eight shots with three rebounds and two steals in 18 minutes off the bench. Fellow sophomore
Brent Randleman contributed 12 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in 29 minutes. Sophomore
Trey Nelson totaled 10 points, four assists, one rebound, and three steals in 32 minutes.
The Trojans grabbed an early 4-3 edge in the opening minutes before Chowan countered with a 15-2 run on six-of-nine shots to take an 18-6 lead. Mount Olive responded with 16 unanswered points behind four three-pointers to reclaim a 22-16 advantage with 11:12 left. The Hawks went on 13-2 rally to regain a 31-24 edge before UMO tied the contest at 33-33 on a dunk by Dunton at the 4:36 mark. The sides exchanged points down the stretch of the first half, as sophomore Ryan Robert hit a three-pointer with one second left to tie the game at 40-40 at the break.
The teams traded points over the initial seven minutes of the second half before Chowan took a 64-59 advantage following a 7-2 run. The Trojans answered with back-to-back layups to cut into the deficit, but the Hawks mounted a 13-2 run to take a significant 77-65 advantage. Mount Olive hit a pair of three-pointers, but Chowan maintained an 83-71 lead with 3:32 to go. UMO made a late push with seven consecutive points to trail by an 83-78 margin before the Hawks sealed the win, 88-84.
Mount Olive finished the contest shooting 28-of-56 (50.0 percent) from the floor while converting 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Chowan posted a .492 field goal percentage (30-of-61) and made 19-of-26 (73.1 percent) from the charity stripe. The Hawks finished with a 39-24 rebounding advantage while scoring 18 second-chance points. The Trojans totaled 30 points in the paint and 34 points off the bench.
Junior Daylan Asken scored a career-high 33 points on 10-of-18 shooting while converting 8-of-10 from the free-throw line on Wednesday. He tallied two rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block in 36 minutes. Redshirt senior RJ Wilson finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, and two assists in 29 minutes. Junior Skyler Davies totaled 13 points while sophomore Preston Le Gassick registered a double-double with 12 points and 11 assists in 36 minutes.
The Trojans return to Kornegay Arena on Saturday, Jan. 20, to face Converse in Conference Carolinas action with tip-off set for 4 p.m.
