MOUNT OLIVE (Jan. 3) – In the triple-overtime thriller, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball team featured of trio of sophomores combined for nearly 65 points in a narrow 103-102 loss versus Francis Marion in Kornegay Arena on Wednesday night in Conference Carolinas play.

With the loss, the Trojans drop to 1-12 overall after playing in a consecutive overtime contest while moving to 0-3 in league action. Francis Marion snaps a four-game skid versus Mount Olive and records its first win in Kornegay Arena since 2021. Meanwhile, the Patriots improve to 4-8 this season with a 2-2 record in conference play.

Sophomore Shane Peterson scored a career-high 26 points on 8-of-17 shooting while converting 5-of-13 from beyond the arc. He also added two rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block in 50 minutes of action. Through 13 games, Peterson paces the team in scoring with 14.7 points per game while converting 87.0 percent from the free-throw line.

Redshirt sophomore Redford Dunton finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 39 minutes. Fellow sophomore Aaron Murphy tallied 19 points on 7-of-15 attempts with six rebounds, one assist, and two steals in 34 minutes off the bench. 

Freshman Josiah Watkins registered his first career double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 29 minutes. Sophomore Trey Nelson dished out a career-high 14 assists with nine points and three rebounds while playing 50 minutes.

Francis Marion took an early 10-6 lead at the 15:05 mark of the first half before the Trojans mounted a 9-1 run to take a 15-11 edge. The Patriots trimmed the deficit to 20-18 at the 9:04 mark, but Mount Olive tallied six of the following eight points to take a 26-20 advantage. UMO made five-of-eight from the floor, including a trio of three-pointers to stretch the lead to 39-31. Francis Marion answered back with an 11-5 rally to close the gap to 44-42 heading into the break.

In the second half, the Patriots score five straight points to take the lead 47-44 in the opening minutes. Murphy nailed a three-pointer to tie the contest at 47-47 before the sides exchanged points over the next 10-plus minutes. Mount Olive went on a 9-2 run to reclaim a 79-72 advantage on a perfect four-of-four shooting before holding an 81-76 edge with 1:33 left. FMU rallied back with seven unanswered points to take an 83-81 lead with 27 seconds left in regulation. With the Patriots leading by an 84-82 margin, Dunton made a catch-and-shoot jumper with under two seconds left to tie the game at the buzzer, 84-84.

Following a pair of overtime periods, the contest went into triple-overtime with the score tied at 98-98. FMU took a 103-100 lead following a layup with 2:08 left before Peterson cut the deficit at the free-throw line, 103-102. Both sides missed shots over the closing minute before a last-second shot from nearly full-court fell short, as FMU escaped with the win.

UMO shot at a 41.5 clip (34-of-82) from the floor while going 20-of-35 (57.1 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Francis Marion finished the game shooting 47.5 percent (38-of-80) and converted 21-of-32 (65.6 percent) from the charity stripe. The Patriots held a 52-50 rebounding advantage with 60 points in the paint, while the Trojans registered 31 points off the bench.

Senior Marlow Gilmore Jr. finished with a career-high 28 points on a perfect 12-of-12 shooting with four rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes. Senior Bryce Beamer produced a double-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, and three steals in 45 minutes. Junior Ibrahim Wattara posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman Horaces Jacques, Jr. nearly recorded a triple-double with 14 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds in 49 minutes.

Mount Olive returns to the court on Saturday, Jan. 6, when it travels to league newcomer Young Harris for Conference Carolinas action, starting at 4 p.m.