WILSON - The University of Mount Olive men's basketball team put together a balanced offensive effort and strong play inside but came up short in a 98–76 decision Tuesday night at Wilson Gymnasium.

Mount Olive finished the night shooting 47.4 percent from the field, consistently attacking the paint and generating high-percentage looks. The Trojans totaled 40 points in the paint and 26 bench points, showcasing depth and ball movement throughout the contest

Mount Olive saw Matt Kirby, Shane Peterson, Micah Jones, and Raul Perez each added 10 or more with Jones providing a spark at the free-throw line, knocking down seven attempts. Christian Ananaba and Jaevian Alston each finished with nine points while adding defensive presence in the lane.

The Trojans were competitive early, trading leads and building a seven-point advantage midway through the opening half. Mount Olive closed the first 20 minutes with 36 points and stayed aggressive in transition, accounting for 15 fast-break points on the night.

In the second half, Mount Olive continued to push the tempo and attack inside, scoring 40 points after the break. The Trojans showed resilience late, stringing together defensive stops and converting in transition to cut into the deficit during the final
stretch.

Mount Olive moves to 5–6 overall and 2–2 in Conference Carolinas play and will look to build on its interior efficiency and balanced scoring as league action continues. The Trojans next compete on the road in Elizabeth City against the Vikings of ECSU on Wednesday, Dec. 31 to finish out the year with tipoff time set for 2 pm.