DUE WEST, S.C. (Jan. 9) – Despite a double-digit lead in the first half, the University of Mount Olive was unable to prevent a season-best shooting performance by Erskine in a 94-86 loss on the road in Conference Carolinas play on Thursday afternoon.
With the loss, the Trojans fall to 6-10 overall with a 4-4 record in conference action. Erskine snaps a two-game losing streak in the series with UMO and captures its first win since 2022. Meanwhile, the Flying Fleet improves to 4-10 this season behind a 2-6 mark in league play.
Freshman
Chase Dawson paced the team with 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting while going a perfect six-of-six from the free-throw line. Additionally, he added five rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes. Redshirt sophomore
Lureon Walker finished with 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, and three steals in 33 minutes. Freshman
Matt Kirby contributed 12 points and six rebounds, while junior
Shawn Wilson recorded 10 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 21 minutes.
Mount Olive held a slight 15-14 lead in the opening eight-plus minutes of the first half, as Walker led the team with nine points. Erskine answered by scoring seven of the following nine points to take a 21-17 advantage at the 8:26 mark before UMO responded with a 16-0 run on seven-of-eight shooting, 33-21. With Mount Olive ahead 39-30 with 2:07 to go, Erskine closed the half with 11 unanswered points to take a 41-39 edge into the break.
The Flying Fleet maintained a 56-51 lead through the initial five minutes before the Trojans closed the gap to 60-57 with 11:55 remaining in the second half. UMO managed to stay within striking distance before Erskine mounted an 8-2 run to extend the advantage to 77-68 at the 4:58 mark. Mount Olive trimmed the deficit to 80-77 following a pair of three-pointers, but the Flying Fleet secured the win at the free-throw line, 94-86.
UMO shot at a 41.7 clip (30-of-72) from the floor while going 17-of-24 (70.8 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Erskine finished the game shooting a season-high 53.7 percent (36-of-67) and converted 10-of-29 (34.5 percent) from three-point range. Both teams recorded 40 rebounds in the contest, while the Trojans tallied 32 points in the paint.
Erskine sophomore Grant Lovette finished with a game-high 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting with seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 24 minutes off the bench. Fellow sophomore Max Peeler totaled 18 points behind six three-pointers while adding three rebounds in 24 minutes. Sophomore Christian Monroe registered 17 points on 8-of-14 attempts with eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 30 minutes.
Mount Olive will continue Conference Carolinas action on Wednesday, Jan. 15, with a road contest against Francis Marion at 7:30 p.m.
