MOUNT OLIVE (Dec. 7) – After a competitive first half on Saturday afternoon, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball was unable to prevent a second-half surge by UNCP in a 105-66 loss in Conference Carolinas action at Kornegay Arena.
With the loss, the Trojans had a four-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 5-3 overall behind a 3-1 record in league play. Mount Olive was held to multiple season lows in the contest, including scoring just 66 points and shooting 36.1 percent from the field. Meanwhile, the Braves improved to 6-4 this season with a perfect 4-0 mark in conference action.
Freshman
Chase Dawson led the team with 14 points while adding one assist and one steal in 27 minutes. Sophomore
Kennard Davis scored a season-high 11 points with two rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 24 minutes. Junior
Shawn Wilson also tallied a season-high eight points while contributing three rebounds, and one steal in 20 minutes off the bench. Redshirt sophomore
Christopher Brown finished with eight points on four-of-seven shooting in 12 minutes off the bench.
Mount Olive held an early 14-12 advantage at the 13:39 mark of the first half after converting 6-of-10 from the floor, led by Dawson with eight points. The Braves quickly countered with a 12-5 rally over the next four minutes to take a 24-19 edge before stretching the lead to 34-26 with 3:57 left. The Trojans closed the gap by scoring six of the next eight points to trim the deficit to 36-32 before UNCP totaled six straight to hold a 42-32 lead at the break.
The Braves exchanged baskets in the initial six-plus minutes of the half, as UNCP maintained a 58-46 lead. Over the next 10 minutes, UNC Pembroke delivered an offensive surge after converting 15-of-22 shots with eight different scorers to take a 96-58 advantage. UNCP closed out the final three minutes of the game to capture a 105-66 win.
UMO shot at a 36.1 clip (22-of-61) from the floor while going 18-of-27 (66.7 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, UNCP finished the game shooting 59.4 percent (41-of-69) and converted 19-of-28 (67.9 percent) from the charity stripe. The Braves held a 50-24 rebounding advantage with 70 points in the paint, while the Trojans scored 33 points off the bench.
Senior Josh Berenbaum scored a game-high 26 points on a perfect nine-of-nine from the field with nine rebounds, and three steals in 26 minutes. Sophomore Dallas Gardner registered 17 points on six-of-eight shooting with seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three blocks in 27 minutes. Redshirt senior Elijah Cobb posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes.
Mount Olive returns to Kornegay Arena on Monday, Dec. 9, to face Elizabeth City State in non-conference play at 5 p.m.
