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March 29, 2024 11:46 am

Mount Olive falls in exhibition at UNCW

WILMINGTON – Playing in their lone exhibition of the season, the Trojans suffered an 94-47 loss at UNC Wilmington on Nov. 21 at Trask Coliseum.

With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men’s basketball team remained at 1-4 overall after playing their third game in four days. UMO starters played limited minutes in the competition with a non-conference contest on Nov. 23.

Freshman Colin Radcliffe registered a team-high 12 points on 4-5 shooting with three treys. He added four rebounds and one steal in 16 minutes off the bench. Fellow freshman Ryan Roberts finished with 11 points and five rebounds in 24 minutes, while sophomore Jikari Johnson posted 10 points on 5-10 from the floor with two rebounds in 17 minutes.

In the first half, UNC Wilmington opened the contest on a 15-0 run after making 6 of 8 shots and forcing the Trojans into three turnovers. Mount Olive got on the board following a jumper from Johnson before both teams traded the next eight combined baskets, as the Seahawks held a 26-10 lead with 8:43 left. UNCW answered with back-to-back buckets before both sides went scoreless over a three-minute stretch. The Seahawks closed out the first half with an 18-8 run on 9-11 shooting to hold a 48-18 advantage at the break.

UNCW started the second half with a jumper before the Trojans scored eight of the following 10 points, led by Roberts with six points, to cut the deficit to 52-26 with 15:31 remaining. The Seahawks continued the offensive pressure over the next six-plus minutes after making 8 of 14 from the field to extend the lead to 70-28 with 8:52 left. UNC Wilmington held a comfortable lead down the stretch before the Trojans converted 4-7 shooting over the final two minutes with Radcliffe and Johnson combining for 10 points.

UMO shot at a 26.9 percent clip (18-67) from the floor after going 7-31 (22.6 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, UNCW finished the game shooting 56.2 percent (41-73) and converted 6-20 (30 percent) from beyond the arc. The Seahawks held a 50-39 rebounding advantage and scored 62 points in the paint. The Trojans scored 33 points off the bench and pulled down 17 offensive rebounds.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics