Tigerville, S.C. — The Mount Olive men's basketball season came to a heartbreaking close Sunday night with a 95–94 loss to King University in the first round of the 2026 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Championship.

Mount Olive entered the tournament as the No. 10 seed and faced the No. 9 Tornado in a first-round matchup hosted by North Greenville University, the No. 4 seed for the championship. The contest featured 10 lead changes and seven ties, with neither team leading by more than 13 points.

The Trojans trailed 49–46 at halftime before outscoring King 48–46 in the second half. Mount Olive shot 54.1 percent from the field and knocked down nine three-pointers, while also converting 19-of-27 attempts at the free-throw line. The Trojans held advantages in fast-break points (22–12) and second-chance points (15–9), keeping pressure on King throughout the night.

Five Trojans scored in double figures, led by Raul Perez with 17 points off the bench. Matt Kirby added 16 points and six assists, while Jaevian Alston chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds. Jefferson McLamb scored 13 points, and Shane Peterson finished with 12 points, five assists, and three steals.

In the final seconds, Mount Olive took a 94–92 lead on a layup by Kirby with nine seconds remaining. King responded out of a timeout, as Jalen Royster connected on a contested three-pointer at the buzzer to secure the one-point victory.

With the result, University of Mount Olive concludes the 2025–26 season with a 10–19 overall record and a 7–13 mark in Conference Carolinas play.