BANNER ELK, N.C. (Feb. 10) – The University of Mount Olive men's basketball team suffered a 90-78 loss following a late surge by Lees-McRae in the closing minutes of the second half on Saturday evening in Conference Carolinas action.
With the loss, the Trojans drop to 6-17 this season with a 5-8 record in league play. Lees-McRae earns the season sweep after previously losing the last four meetings entering this year. Meanwhile, the Bobcats collect a third-straight win to improve to 15-8 overall behind an 8-5 mark in conference action.
Sophomore
Shane Peterson tied a game-high with 20 points after converting 7-of-13 shots while making four-of-nine from beyond the arc in 34 minutes. He records his fifth 20-point performance of the season and has made 65 three-pointers through 23 games.
Freshman
Kahlif Barnes finished with 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting with six rebounds and four steals in 23 minutes. Fellow freshman
Josiah Watkins also contributed 13 points on 5-of-13 shots with eight rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 27 minutes off the bench. Sophomore
Aaron Murphy produced 10 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one block in 18 minutes off the bench.
In the first half, the two sides traded baskets in the opening five minutes of the game before UMO answered back with six straight points to grab a 15-11 advantage. Lees-McRae responded with eight straight points to regain the lead, but quickly tied the game up at 21-21. With little separating the teams, Lees-McRae held a 39-38 lead with 5:16 left before Mount Olive scored nine consecutive points, led by Peterson with five points, 47-39. The Bobcats countered with a 7-0 rally to trail by a 47-46 margin at halftime.
Lees-McRae quickly reclaimed the lead in the second half and eventually established a 63-53 lead after going a 9-0 run. UMO scored seven of the following nine points to close the gap to 65-60 before trailing by just three points at 69-66 with 5:16 remaining. The Bobcats mounted a 13-4 run over the next three minutes to extend the advantage to 82-70 before making a perfect four-of-four shooting to close out the game, 90-78.
UMO shot at a 42.6 clip (29-of-68) from the floor while going 10-of-27 (37.0 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae finished the game shooting 52.5 percent (32-of-61) and converted 21-of-25 (84.0 percent) from the free-throw line. The Bobcats held a 40-30 rebounding advantage with 48 points in the paint, while the Trojans registered 30 points off the bench.
Senior Jaylin Stewart tied a game-high with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting with one rebound, two assists, and three steals in 23 minutes. Graduate student Rodney Smith finished with 12 points, one rebound, and four assists, while junior Nico Ashley posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Mount Olive returns to Conference Carolinas play on Wednesday, Feb. 14, when it travels to face Chowan with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
