WILSON, N.C. (Jan. 24) – Despite a season-high 23 points from freshman
Josiah Watkins, the Trojans fell by a 96-68 margin at rival Barton on Wednesday night in Conference Carolinas action.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball team falls to 4-14 this season with a 3-5 mark in league play. UMO will continue its road trip at King this weekend while playing five of its next six away from Kornegay Arena. Meanwhile, Barton improves to 8-11 overall behind a 5-4 record in conference action.
Watkins finished with 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting while converting 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. He also added four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 24 minutes off the bench. Sophomore
Aaron Murphy contributed 11 points, four rebounds, and one block in 14 minutes, while teammate
Trey Nelson tallied 10 points in 37 minutes. Freshman
Kahlif Barnes registered seven points, five rebounds, one assist, and one block in 24 minutes on the court.
The Bulldogs mounted a 17-2 run on seven-of-nine shooting in the initial five-plus minutes of the contest before the teams exchanged points over the next six minutes. With the Bulldogs holding a 28-15 edge, Barton stretched the advantage with a 13-4 run on a perfect five-of-five shots from the field, 41-19. In the closing minutes, the sides traded points as the Bulldogs held a 47-25 advantage at halftime.
In the second half, the Bulldogs quickly extended the lead to 53-27 before the Trojans tallied six consecutive points to cut the deficit to 53-33 with 16:29 left. After a short run by Barton, UMO countered with an 11-2 rally to close the gap to 62-46. The Bulldogs went on a 20-9 run over the next five-plus minutes on seven-of-eight shooting to take an 82-55 lead. The squads traded points over the final minutes as the Trojans suffered a 96-68 loss.
Mount Olive finished the contest shooting 22-of-63 (34.9 percent) from the floor while converting 74.1 percent (20-of-27) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Barton posted a .563 field goal percentage (36-of-64) and made 8-of-18 (44.4 percent) from three-point range. The Trojans finished with a 38-37 rebounding advantage while scoring 44 points off the bench. The Bulldogs totaled 48 points in the paint and 28 points off turnovers.
Senior Reese McDonald scored a game-high 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting with six rebounds, seven assists, six steals, and one block in 32 minutes. Fellow senior Donaven Hairston finished with 21 points on 7-of-11 attempts with five rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 27 minutes. Senior Jett Fortuny tallied 13 points, two rebounds, and four assists in 31 minutes.
The Trojans return to Conference Carolinas action on Saturday, Jan. 27, when they travel to face King with tip-off set for 4:30 p.m.
