Trojans drop contest to Barton
MOUNT OLIVE – Senior Michael Brown registered a team-high 26 points on Feb. 1, as the University of Mount Olive men’s basketball team suffered a 94-84 loss versus Barton in Conference Carolinas play at Kornegay Arena.
With the loss, the Trojans fell to 8-14 overall with a 6-8 mark in conference action. Mount Olive remains in eighth place in the team standings with six games left in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs improved to 13-8 this season with an 11-3 record in league play.
Brown totaled 26 points on nine of 20 from the floor while converting four from beyond the arc. He nearly posted a double-double with nine assists and five rebounds in 39 minutes. He collected his 15th 20-point performance of the year while averaging 23.0 points per game over the last five contests.
Senior Trayvon Ferrell finished with 14 points on five of nine shooting with seven rebounds in 31 minutes. Freshman Shane Peterson delivered 10 points and three rebounds in 28 minutes, while senior Kaeleb Carter and freshman Ryan Roberts each produced nine points.
Mount Olive made three of four from the field to take an early 8-4 lead before the Bulldogs mounted a 10-2 rally to claim a 14-10 advantage with 15:01 left in the first half. Ferrell countered with a massive three-pointer, as the Trojans scored seven of the following nine points to regain the lead by a 17-16 margin. UMO held a slight 21-20 lead with 11:42 remaining before Barton was able to maintain at least a one-point advantage over the next 10-plus minutes. Junior Derreco Miller converted a pair of free throws in the closing seconds of the first half to send UMO into the break trailing 42-39.
In the second half, the Trojans reclaimed the lead with a 12-6 run, led by Brown with six points, to hold a 51-48 advantage at the 17:48 mark. The Bulldogs countered with 18 straight points over the next six minutes while holding UMO scoreless and forcing four turnovers to lead 66-51. Mount Olive managed to cut the deficit to 77-65 with 7:03 left before both teams exchanged baskets over the next four minutes. The Trojans made one last push after scoring six consecutive points with 1:42 left to close the gap to 91-82 before the Bulldogs secured the win.
UMO finished the contest shooting 47.4 percent (27 of 57) from the floor while converting 22 of 28 (78.6 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Barton shot 52.3 percent (34-of-65) and made 20 of 25 (80.0 percent) from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs held a 36-30 rebounding advantage with 33 points off the bench, while the Trojans totaled 36 points in the paint.
— From University of Mount Olive Athletics
