MOUNT OLIVE (Feb. 15) – In a thrilling final seven-plus minutes in Conference Carolinas play, the Trojans dropped an 80-78 decision to Young Harris on Saturday afternoon at Kornegay Arena.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball program falls to 10-15 on the season and 8-9 mark in conference play. The Trojans will host their final home contest of the regular season on Wednesday, Feb. 19, versus rival Barton. Meanwhile, Young Harris improves to 17-7 overall behind a 12-4 record in league action.
Freshman
Chase Dawson led the Trojans with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting, adding two assists and two steals in 32 minutes of play. Redshirt sophomore
Lureon Walker contributed 17 points, two steals, two rebounds, and a block, while freshman
Matt Kirby added 14 points and five assists. Freshman
Raul Perez also impressed with 13 points, four rebounds, and a steal.
In the first half, the Mountain Lions established an 8-2 advantage in the initial three-plus minutes of the game. The Trojans countered with a 9-2 rally to close the gap, but Young Harris extended its lead to 21-16 at the 9:11 mark. Mount Olive scored six unanswered points to take a 22-21 edge before the sides traded baskets over the next five minutes. Dawson totaled five straight points to finish the half with a 43-35 lead. UMO shot an impressive 58.4 percent (17-of-31) from the field over the initial 20 minutes of the game.
Mount Olive maintained its lead over the opening two-plus minutes before a 9-2 run by the Mountain Lions tied the game at 49-49 with 14:50 to go. The Trojans scored nine of the next 11 points to regain a 58-51 edge, but Young Harris managed to trim the deficit to 64-60 with nine minutes left. UMO jumped ahead by double-figures at the 7:58 mark after a layup by Walker to lead 74-63 before Young Harris went on a 15-4 rally, 78-78. The Mountain Lions found the game-winning basket with 1:33 to go, as UMO missed its final seven shots of the game in an 80-78 loss.
Mount Olive finished the contest shooting 29-of-63 (46.0 percent) from the floor while converting 93.3 percent (14-of-15) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Young Harris posted a .544 field goal percentage (31-of-57) and made 13-of-16 (81.3 percent) from the charity stripe. The Mountain Lions held a 37-22 rebounding advantage but dominated the turnover battle, 17-6.
Young Harris junior Carl Cleveland had his third 30-point game of the season for the Mountain Lions scoring 31 points after shooting 11-of-16 from the field and 9-of-10 from the line.
Mount Olive will be back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 19, hosting rival Barton at Kornegay Arena in a Conference Carolinas matchup at 7 p.m.
