Mount Olive rallies past Erskine

DUE WEST, S.C. – Seniors Michael Brown and Trayvon Ferrell combined for 35 points in the second half, as the Trojans overcame a 10-point deficit at the break to defeat Erskine by a 78-70 margin on the road on Feb. 18 in Conference Carolinas action.

With the win, the University of Mount Olive men’s basketball team improves to 10-17 overall with an 8-11 mark in conference play. Meanwhile, Erskine falls to 0-28 this season with a 0-20 record in league action.

Brown dropped 21 in the second half to finish with a game-high 26 points on six of 14 shooting while converting a perfect 11 of 11 from the free-throw line. He also tallied seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in 40 minutes of action. Following a career-high performance during the midweek, Brown registered his 18th game with at least 20 points and eclipsed 600 points in a single season, while continuing to sit second in NCAA Division II with 182 assists this season.

Ferrell produced a stellar second-half performance to close the contest with 16 points on six of eight shots with six rebounds in 29 minutes. Freshman Shane Peterson delivered 11 points, two rebounds and one steal in 32 minutes, while senior Kaeleb Carter recorded six points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal while playing 17 minutes.

UMO shot at a 39 percent clip (23 of 59) from the floor while going 23 of 26 (88.5 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Erskine finished the game shooting 45.2 percent (28 of 62) and converted five of 16 (31.3 percent) from beyond the arc. Both teams tied with 37 rebounds each with the Trojans netting 20 fast break points, while the Flying Fleet scored 42 points in the paint.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics