University of Mount Olive outrebounded Erskine College 48-35, but a series of three-pointers early in the second half turned a four-point game into a double-digit contest as the Trojans fell to the Flying Fleet 77-64 in Conference Carolinas men's basketball Wednesday at Due West, S.C. Kendall Hargrove and Dory Hines paced the Trojans on the glass with 11 rebounds apiece.
Mount Olive (8-7 overall, 2-3 Conference Carolinas) trailed by four at the half and was down 32-28 when Erskine's Roderick Perkins triggered a Flying Fleet run with three of his seven 3-pointers. Perkins scored 10 of his game-high 35 points during a three-minute span to give Erskine a 42-30 lead with 14:14 left in the contest.
The margin grew to as many as 15 points before baskets by Hargrove and Dontrell Brite helped pull Mount Olive within 55-47 with 8:25 remaining. But Perkins answered with another three-pointer and the Trojans never got any closer than seven the rest of the way.
In the first half, John Wieland's three-pointer with 7:27 left gave Mount Olive its only lead of the game at 17-15. Erskine (10-4, 4-1) built the lead to as many as 11, but another three-pointer by Wieland and a jumper by Hines highlighted a 7-0 Trojan run to end the half and pull Mount Olive within 28-24 at the break.
Brite led Mount Olive with 12 points, while Jordan McCain added 11 points and Wieland finished with 10. The loss was the Trojans' third in a row.
Mike Gabbard added 17 points for Erskine, while Maurice Daniels finished with 15 points. Chris Gore pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.
Mount Olive returns to action Saturday afternoon as the Trojans play host to Belmont Abbey in a Conference Carolinas match-up. Tip-off is 4 p.m. at Kornegay Arena. Saturday's men's and women's basketball doubleheader is part of Fellowship of Christian Athletes Day at Mount Olive. There will be devotions and a guest speaker after the conclusion of the men's basketball game.