MOUNT OLIVE (Jan. 4) – After forcing a season-high 36 turnovers and featuring three players with at least 20 points, the Trojans started 2025 with a 97-82 victory over Lees-McRae in Conference Carolinas play on Saturday evening at Kornegay Arena.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball program snapped its losing streak and improved to 6-9 this season while boasting a 4-3 mark in league action. The Trojans have won five of the last seven meetings in the series, including three matchups at Kornegay Arena. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae drops to 3-9 overall with a 2-5 record in conference play.
Freshman
Chase Dawson scored a game-high 23 points on 10-of-20 shooting while adding two rebounds and one assist in 29 minutes on the court. Fellow freshman
Matt Kirby delivers a career-best performance with 20 points on five-of-eight attempts while going a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. He added four rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 23 minutes off the bench. Redshirt sophomore
Lureon Walker finished with 20 points on 9-of-20 from the floor while totaling two rebounds, three assists, one block, and three steals in 30 minutes.
Following a dunk by Lees-McRae to begin the contest, Walker scored eight unanswered points to establish an early 8-2 advantage in the first half. The Bobcats managed to tie the contest up at 8-8, but UMO countered with a 9-2 rally to take a 17-10 lead with 13:32 to go. With Mount Olive holding a 23-21 edge at the 9:19 mark, the Trojans surged forward with a 15-3 run on six-of-nine shooting, led by Kirby with six points, 38-24. Lees-McRae finished the first half strong and went into the break trailing by a 44-40 margin.
In the opening minute of the second half, the Bobcats tied the game at 44-44 before Dawson kicked started a 9-2 run with seven points to regain a seven-point advantage, 53-46 with 17:35 left. The Trojans pulled ahead by 10 points at the 12:02 mark at 65-55 before scoring 13 of the next 19 points to stretch the lead to 76-61. With 4:54 left in regulation, Lees-McRae closed the gap to 81-70 before Kirby and Wilson combined for 11 of the final 16 points scored by the UMO to secure a 97-82 win.
Mount Olive finished the contest shooting 37-of-74 (50.0 percent) from the floor while converting 94.7 percent (18-of-19) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae posted a .561 field goal percentage (32-of-57) and made 17-of-24 (70.8 percent) from the charity stripe. The Bobcats finished with a 42-23 rebounding advantage while the Trojans scored 41 points off turnovers.
Lees-McRae featured four players in double-figures, led by senior Ja'Quavian Florence, who scored 20 points (all in the second half) on 9-of-16 shooting with five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block in 30 minutes.
Mount Olive will play four of its next five games on the road, starting with a contest at Erskine on Saturday, Jan. 11 with tip-off set for 4 p.m.
