MOUNT OLIVE (Nov. 16) – Behind seven players in double-figures, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball team delivered an offensive outburst with a 131-90 win over Morris in the final game of the 59th Annual Pickle Classic at Kornegay Arena on Saturday night.
With the win, the Trojans improve to 2-2 following back-to-back weekend classics to begin the 2024-25 season. Mount Olive is set to play four of its next five games at home, including opening league play versus Shorter next Saturday, Nov. 23. Meanwhile, Morris falls to 2-4 this season following consecutive games against Conference Carolinas opponent.
Redshirt sophomore
Lureon Walker totaled a team-high 18 points while converting six-of-seven from the free-throw line. Additionally, he added four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 18 minutes. Redshirt junior
Redford Dunton scored 17 points on seven-of-nine from the field behind five rebounds, three assists, and one block in 19 minutes. Junior
Shane Peterson also finished with 17 points with five three-pointers while playing for 17 minutes in the start. Freshman
Matt Kirby and junior
Kobe Jones each contributed 16 points off the bench, while freshman
Raul Perez and redshirt sophomore
Christopher Brown also reached double-digit points.
Morris produced a strong opening five minutes in the first half after converting 8-of-10 shots to take a 19-9 lead at the 14:15 mark. A dunk from Jones would kickstart a 15-4 rally for the Trojans to claim a 24-23 lead with 9:05 left in the half. Following a jumper by the Hornet, Mount Olive countered with another long run to stretch its lead to 37-29 before converting five-of-eight shots to take a 54-41 advantage into halftime.
The Trojans immediately opened up the lead in the initial minutes of the second half with a 17-7 run, as Walker and Dunton combined for 10 points, 71-48. After exchanging baskets for three-plus minutes, UMO tallied 10 unanswered to build a 94-58 lead with 11:26 to go. With Mount Olive ahead 104-72 at the eight-minute mark, the Trojans made 7-of-11 from the floor over the next four minutes, led by Kirby with eight points to secure the 131-90 win.
UMO shot at a 50.0 clip (47-of-94) from the floor while going 31-of-40 (77.5 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Morris finished the game shooting 41.9 percent (31-of-74) and converted 24-of-35 (68.6 percent) from the charity stripe. The Hornets held a slight 49-48 rebounding advantage with 48 points in the paint, while the Trojans scored 44 points off 32 forced turnovers.
Morris freshman Maurion Gordon finished with a game-high 30 points behind six rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 29 minutes. Sophomore Da'Shawn Smith registered 25 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and one block in 32 minutes.
Mount Olive is idle for the week before returning to Kornegay Arena on Saturday, Nov. 23, to face Shorter in the Conference Carolinas opener with tip-off set for 4 p.m.
