Mount Olive basketball programs drop games at Chowan
Mount Olive’s basketball programs suffered a pair of defeats at Chowan on Valentine’s Day.
Men’s game
After yielding 45 points in the second half, the Trojans fell by a 77-59 margin on the road against Chowan in Conference Carolinas action on Wednesday night.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men’s basketball program drops to 6-18 overall behind a 5-9 mark in conference play. The Hawks earn a season sweep over their divisional rival and hold a 4-1 record in the previous five meetings. Meanwhile, Chowan clinches a third consecutive victory to improve to 16-8 this season with a 10-5 record in league action.
Freshman Josiah Watkins led the team with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting with seven rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes off the bench. Sophomore Shane Peterson produced 13 points, four rebounds, and one steal in 30 minutes. Fellow freshman Kahlif Barnes finished with 10 points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in 34 minutes.
Mount Olive finished the contest shooting 22-of-65 (33.8 percent) from the floor while converting 25.9 percent (7-of-27) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Chowan posted a .469 field goal percentage (30-of-64) and made 7-of-25 (28.0 percent) from beyond the arc. The Hawks finished with a 51-30 rebounding advantage while scoring 17 second-chance points. The Trojans totaled 28 points in the paint and 26 points off the bench.
Junior Daylan Askew scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting with four rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes. Aaron Ross contributed 12 points, four rebounds, and one assist in 17 minutes off the bench. Junior Skyler Davies finished with 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 25 minutes.
Mount Olive returns to Conference Carolinas action on Saturday, Feb. 21, when it hosts Emmanuel on Senior Day, starting at 4 p.m.
Women’s game
Despite a game-high 30 points from sophomore Laila Anderson, the Trojans were dealt a 69-50 loss at Chowan in Conference Carolinas action on Wednesday night.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women’s basketball team drops to 7-15 this season with a 5-9 mark in league action. The Hawks swept the season series and currently sit fourth in the KPI standings, which determines tournament seeding. Meanwhile, Chowan collects its third straight win to improve to 11-8 overall behind an 11-4 record in conference play.
Anderson scored 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting while going three-of-six from three-point range. She also tallied two rebounds, three assists, four steals, and one block in 36 minutes. Anderson paces the Conference Carolinas with 19.1 points per game with a trio of 30-point performances this year.
Senior Reagan Hune finished with nine points on four-of-nine attempts with two rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one block in 32 minutes.
UMO finished the contest shooting 35.0 percent (21-of-60) from the floor while converting 4-of-21 (19.0 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Chowan posted a .361 field goal percentage (26-of-72) and made 15-of-23 (65.2 percent) from the free-throw line. The Hawks recorded a 64-24 rebounding advantage with 46 points in the paint, while the Trojans scored 20 points off 31 forced turnovers.
Junior Tynasia Bunting finished with a team-high 23 points on 8-of-18 attempts with nine rebounds and six steals in 27 minutes. Sophomore Sydney Roberts tallied 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 20 minutes. Fellow sophomore Imani Hickman posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Mount Olive returns to the court on Saturday, Feb. 17, when they host Emmanuel on Senior Day at Kornegay Arena with tip-off set for 2 p.m.
