MOUNT OLIVE (Feb. 5) – In a Conference Carolinas East Division matchup, the University of Mount Olive men's basketball program delivered a complete-game performance in a 95-87 win over Chowan on Wednesday night at Kornegay Arena.
With the win, the Trojans improve to 9-13 overall with a 7-7 record in conference action. Mount Olive secures its first win over Chowan at Kornegay Arena since 2022 and picks up a critical divisional win toward the KPI standings. Meanwhile, the Hawks drop to 12-7 this season behind a 9-3 mark in league play.
Freshman
Chase Dawson led the way with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting while converting six-of-eight from the free-throw line. In 27 minutes on the court, he added three rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Fellow freshman
Matt Kirby finished with 17 points on six-of-eight attempts with six rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes. Redshirt sophomore
Lureon Walker contributed 15 points, three rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 30 minutes.
Chowan established an early 12-9 advantage in the first half on five-of-eight shooting before UMO countered by scoring six of the next eight points to lead 15-14 at the 13:59 mark. The Hawks stretched the lead to 19-15 before Mount Olive mounted a 15-4 rally behind a trio of three-pointers to take a 30-23 edge with eight-plus minutes to go. With the Trojans ahead 34-33 with 5:38 left, UMO closed the first half with a 14-7 run to lead at halftime by a 48-40 margin.
In the second half, the Hawks quickly trimmed the deficit to 51-50 with 17:42 remaining before Mount Olive made four-of-five from the field to regain a seven-point lead, 59-52. Chowan climbed in front behind an 11-2 run to hold a 63-61 lead with 11:52 to go before the sides traded points over the next seven minutes. With 4:43 remaining, UMO pushed ahead by scoring 11 of the next 14 points to lead 91-83 with 47 seconds left. The Trojans knocked down their free throws to capture the 95-87 win.
UMO shot at a 52.2 clip (35-of-67) from the floor while going 20-of-27 (74.1 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Chowan finished the game shooting 47.6 percent (30-of-63) and converted 8-of-23 (34.8 percent) from three-point range. The Hawks held a 37-31 rebounding advantage with 38 points in the paint. The Trojans tallied 31 fast break points and 50 points in the paint.
Chowan senior Daylan Askew scored a game-high 25 points on 7-of-15 shooting while converting 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. He added three rebounds and seven assists in 34 minutes. Senior Aaron Ross contributed 13 points and redshirt sophomore Eric Gordon Jr. tallied 11 points. Senior RJ Wilson recorded a double-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists in 39 minutes.
Mount Olive returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 8, when it travels to face Converse in Conference Carolinas action at 4 p.m.
