WILSON, N.C. (Nov. 8) – Behind four players in double-figures on Friday night in the season-opener, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball team secured a massive regional win over Augusta by a final score of 99-87 at the Hampton Inn & Suites and Tru By Hilton 45-Second Classic.
With the win, the Trojans begin the 2024-25 campaign with a 1-0 record after competing in a pair of Division I exhibitions this week. Mount Olive earns its first win over Augusta at the 45-Second Classic since 2019. Meanwhile, the Jaguars drop to 0-1 overall after being selected second in the preseason Peach Belt Conference (PBC) poll.
Redshirt junior
Redford Dunton tied a game-high with 23 points on six-of-eight shooting while converting 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. He also added four rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 23 minutes. Redshirt sophomore
Lureon Walker produced 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting with four rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 28 minutes on the court. Off the bench, freshman
Chase Dawson totaled 11 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 19 minutes. Fellow freshman
Raul Perez recorded 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and five steals in 20 minutes.
Augusta established an early 11-6 advantage in the initial two-plus minutes of the contest after knocking down five-of-six shots from the field and forcing three turnovers. The Trojans answered back by scoring six of the following eight points, but the Jaguars countered with a 10-0 run to extend the lead to 23-12 at the 14:07 mark. With Augusta ahead by a 31-21 margin with 9:48 left in the first half, UMO scored 14 unanswered points on a perfect five-of-five shooting, led by Dawson with five points to claim a 35-31 edge. Mount Olive managed to stretch the lead to 42-33 with 5:17 to go before the Jaguars close the gap to 48-44 heading into the break.
In the second half, Walker hammered down a dunk in the opening seconds before the sides exchanged points over a five-minute stretch. With UMO ahead by a 58-57 margin at the 14:20 mark, the Trojans mounted a 12-2 run with Dunton scoring six points to extend their lead to 70-59. After trading points over the next four-plus minutes, Mount Olive extended the advantage to 91-76 following an 11-4 run before holding a 99-79 lead, its largest of the game, with two minutes left.
UMO shot at a 43.5 clip (30-of-69) from the floor while going 31-of-39 (79.5 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Augusta finished the game shooting 43.9 percent (29-of-66) and converted 26-of-44 (59.1 percent) from the charity stripe. The Jaguars finished with a 49-38 rebounding advantage with 42 points in the paint, while the Trojans scored 25 points off 24 forced turnovers.
Augusta featured three players with double-digit points, led by junior Demitri Garnder with 23 points on 9-of-19 shots while adding nine rebounds and two steals in 34 minutes.
Mount Olive continues play at the 45-Second Classic tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 9, when it face Columbus State with tip-off set for 11 a.m.
