RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 6) – In their second Division I exhibition this week, the Trojans fell by a 101-68 margin in a matchup at Richmond on Wednesday night while competing at the Robins Center.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball team will begin preparations to tip off the official 2024-25 schedule this Friday against Augusta at the Hampton Inn & Suites and Tru By Hilton 45 Second Classic. Meanwhile, Richmond opens the campaign with a 1-0 record after being tabbed seventh in the Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll.
Redshirt sophomore
Lureon Walker led the Trojans in scoring for a second straight game after scoring 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting with four rebounds in 21 minutes. Off the bench, freshman
Chase Dawson finished with 12 points on 4-of-10 from the field while adding two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 21 minutes. Redshirt junior
Redford Dunton totaled seven points, four rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 19 minutes.
The Spiders held an early 10-4 edge in the opening five-plus minutes of the contest, as both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm. Over the next four minutes, the Trojans mounted a 10-4 rally on five-of-eight shooting to tie the contest at 14-14 at the 10:44 mark. Richmond managed to separate themselves by a 39-20 margin after finding success from the floor and at the free-throw line. Mount Olive outscored the Spiders by four points in the final four-plus minutes after hitting four three-pointers, including a pair from junior
Shane Peterson. Richmond went into the break with a 52-37 advantage after shooting 50.0 percent from the field in the first half.
UMO hit a jumper in the opening seconds of the half, but the Spiders scored 14 unanswered to build a 69-41 lead at the 13:20 mark. With Richmond ahead 82-46 with 7:52 left, Mount Olive totaled eight of the next 12 points behind Walker with four to cut into the deficit in the closing minutes. Both sides traded points over the final 3:52 with Dawson scoring nine points in that stretch as the game finished by a final score of 101-68.
Mount Olive finished the contest shooting 23-of-71 (32.4 percent) from the floor while converting 69.9 percent (16-of-23) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Richmond posted a .559 field goal percentage (33-of-59) and made 27-of-38 (71.1 percent) from the charity stripe. The Spiders finished with a 47-37 rebounding advantage while scoring 50 points in the paint. The Trojans totaled 32 points off the bench and 16 fastbreak points.
Richmond featured five players in double-figures, led by senior DeLonnie Hunt, who scored a game-high 17 points on 6-of-10 shots with three rebounds and three steals in 24 minutes. Junior Mike Walz finished with a double-double after tallying 10 points and 11 rebounds in 15 minutes.
The Trojans will officially tip off the campaign this Friday. Nov. 8, against Augusta at the Hampton Inn & Suites and Tru By Hilton 45 Second Classic hosted by Barton, starting at 5 p.m.
