UMO falls in final seconds to Emmanuel
MOUNT OLIVE – Despite a career-high 42 points from senior guard Michael Brown on Feb. 16, the University of Mount Olive men’s basketball team suffered a 105-104 loss in a high-scoring affair versus Emmanuel in Conference Carolinas action at Kornegay Arena.
With the loss, the Trojans fell to 9-17 overall with a 7-11 mark in conference action. Mount Olive currently sits in a tie for eighth place in the league standings with two games left in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Lions extended their 12-game winning streak and improved to 19-7 this season with a 15-3 record in league action.
Brown tallied the second-most points in a single game in UMO history after dropping 42 points on 13 of 23 shooting while making 12 of 15 from the free throw line. He finished just two points behind the record set by 2022 Hall of Famer Kendrick Easley, who scored 44 points in a single contest. Brown also registered a double-double with 10 assists, seven rebounds and one steal while playing all 40 minutes.
Fellow senior Trayvon Ferrell produced 18 points on six of nine shots with five rebounds and one assist in 30 minutes. Freshman Shane Peterson scored 15 points in the loss after converting nine of 11 from the charity stripe.
The Lions built an 11-8 advantage in the opening five minutes of the game after hitting four of six from the field, including a trio of three-pointers. UMO quickly answered with five straight points to gain a 13-11 advantage before Emmanuel nailed another shot from beyond the arc to lead 14-13. The Trojans stormed back on offense by tallying seven of the following 10 points to take a 20-17 edge with 9:55 left in the half. The Lions managed to reclaim the advantage at 26-25, but Mount Olive mounted a 9-2 rally over the next two-plus minutes to take a 34-28 lead. UMO maintained the advantage over the final four minutes of the half to hold a 45-35 lead at the break.
The Trojans stretched the lead to 55-39 over the initial two minutes of the second half. Emmanuel slowly chipped away at the deficit over the next couple of minutes closing the gap to single digits with 14:25 remaining at 57-48. Following a pull-up jumper from Brown, the Lions scored 11 unanswered points to tie the game at 59. In the following five minutes of the second half, Emmanuel registered a 15-3 run to take an 81-70 advantage with 4:38 left. The Lions maintained a double-digit lead until the final minute of the contest when Brown hit a floater as part of a 13-5 rally to cut the lead to 100-97 with 17 seconds to go. Emmanuel held a 105-102 lead with three seconds left before Brown was fouled as the buzzer sounded and was awarded three shots at the line. Unfortunately, he converted just two-of-three shots, as the Lions escaped with a 105-104 win.
UMO finished the contest shooting 49.2 percent (32 of 65) from the floor while converting 12 of 30 (40 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Emmanuel shot 56.4 percent (31 of 55) and made 36 of 45 (80 percent) from the charity stripe. The Trojans held a 35-29 rebounding advantage with 29 fastbreak points, while the Lions tallied 42 points in the paint.
— From University of Mount Olive Athletics
