UMO defeated at Chowan

MURFREESBORO  – Senior Michael Brown nearly posted a triple-double on Feb. 8 as the University of Mount Olive men’s basketball team fell by a 112-92 margin at Chowan in Conference Carolinas play.

With the loss, the Trojans fell to 8-16 overall with a 6-10 mark in conference action. With four games left in the regular season, UMO sits ninth in the league standings with a critical matchup versus Lees-McRae this weekend. Meanwhile, the Hawks improved to 11-10 this season with a 9-7 record in league play.

Brown delivered 29 points on 11 of 19 shooting with four three-pointers while adding 12 assists, eight rebounds and two steals. He has registered three double-doubles this season and eclipsed 500 points in a single season for the first time in his career. Entering tonight’s contest, Brown ranked sixth in the NCAA in assists and seventh in total points.

Freshman Colin Radcliffe produced 16 points on four of eight shooting and converted six of seven from the free-throw line in 16 minutes off the bench. Senior Kaeleb Carter totaled 13 points, four rebounds and one steal in 17 minutes, while freshman Shane Peterson posted 12 points, five rebounds, one steal and one block in 31 minutes.

Mount Olive found its offensive rhythm early in the first half after knocking down four of seven from the field with a trio of three-pointers to take a 13-4 advantage. The Hawks countered with 12 unanswered points to grab the lead 16-13. The Trojans responded with an 11-2 rally, led by Brown with six points, to reclaim the advantage 24-18 at the 9:57 mark. Chowan quickly regained the lead at 27-24 with nine straight points in under two minutes before the lead changed hands four more times down the stretch of the half. Over the final 4:21, the Hawks mounted a 19-6 run on seven of eight shots with four treys to head into halftime with a 51-39 advantage.

In the second half, Chowan maintained a 70-58 lead. The Hawks slowly increased the advantage later in the half behind a 13-6 run to take a commanding 89-70 lead with just over seven minutes left. The Trojans attempted to chip away over the next three minutes with Brown scoring nine of 14 points to trail by a 100-84 margin. Chowan shot at a high percentage from the field and the free-throw line in the final minutes to seal the victory, 112-92.

UMO finished the contest shooting 45.6 percent (31 of 68) from the floor while converting 13 of 32 (40.6 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Chowan shot 56 percent (42 of 75) and made 13 of 32 (40.6 percent) from beyond the arc. The Hawks held a 39-36 rebounding advantage with 36 points off the bench, while the Trojans totaled 30 points in the paint.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics