WILSON, N.C. (Nov. 9) – Despite featuring a pair of 20-point scorers on Saturday afternoon, the Trojans suffered a 106-96 loss against Columbus State in a neutral site non-conference game at the Hampton Inn & Suites and Tru By Hilton 45-Second Classic.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball team drops to 1-1 following the opening weekend of the regular season while averaging 97.5 points per game. The Cougars hold a 4-1 mark against the Trojans with the two sides meeting for a fourth straight year. Meanwhile, Columbus State improves to 2-0 overall after defeating a pair of Conference Carolinas opponents.
Redshirt sophomore
Lureon Walker totaled a team-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting while forcing four steals in 30 minutes on the court. Freshman
Chase Dawson once again made an immediate impact off the bench with 22 points on 9-of-18 shots, adding four rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes. Redshirt junior
Redford Dunton reached double-figures with 11 points while tallying four assists and one rebound in 25 minutes.
Mount Olive established an early 16-9 lead in the initial four-plus minutes of the game with four different players converting a three-pointer. The Cougars rallied with a 10-1 run to take a 19-17 advantage at the 13:10 mark before freshman
Raul Perez tied the contest with a layup, 19-19. After exchanging points for a five-minute stretch, Columbus State mounted an 11-2 run to claim a 42-31 edge before closing the first half strong to take a 57-41 lead into the break.
The Cougars took their largest lead of the game in the opening minutes of the second half by a 65-44 margin. Mount Olive slowly chipped away at the deficit with a 13-4 rally behind a trio of three-pointers to trail 69-57 with 15:16 left. The Trojans closed the gap to 80-74 after converting five-of-six from the field before the sides traded baskets for the next seven minutes. Mount Olive cut the deficit to 100-92 with 1:47 to go, but the Cougars sealed the victory at the free-throw line.
Mount Olive finished the contest shooting 37-of-71 (52.1 percent) from the floor while converting 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Columbus State posted a .514 field goal percentage (36-of-70) and made 21-of-25 (84.0 percent) from the charity stripe. The Cougars finished with a 43-30 rebounding advantage while scoring 23 second-chance points. The Trojans totaled 44 points off the bench and 33 fastbreak points.
Columbus State featured three players that eclipsed 20 points in the win, led by graduate student Jehloni James, who scored a game-high 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting with seven rebounds.
The Trojans will return to the court on Tuesday, Nov. 12, when they travel to face East Carolina in an exhibition game, starting at 7 p.m.
