Trojans Hit Century Mark In 103-93 Win Over Bobcats

BANNER ELK, N.C. – The University of Mount Olive men's basketball team defeated the Bobcats of Lees-McRae College 103-93 on the road in Banner Elk, N.C., in Conference Carolinas men's basketball action. Senior Jamaal Matin dropped a career-high 32 points while four other teammates joined him in double figures.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Mount Olive 103, Lees-McRae 93
Records: Mount Olive (6-9, 5-1), Lees-McRae (5-12, 2-6)
Location: Banner Elk, N.C.

How It Happened
Play-by-Play

FIRST HALF

• Cameron Robinson got things started with a three-point basket 23 seconds into the contest off an assist from Don Pigford.
• Lees-McRae went on an 8-3 run to take the 8-6 lead as the clock ticked down to 18 minutes.
• UMO pulled ahead slightly after Robinson made a pair of free throws and Alan Treakle hit his second three-pointer of the game to give Mount Olive an 11-10 lead at the 17:09 mark.
• The Bobcats made a layup to temporarily retake the lead, 12-11 at 16:36, but the Trojans got ahead 31-13 on a 20-2 spree over five minutes that saw six three-pointers fall for the UMO including four consecutive baskets by Jamaal Matin.
• LMC came within 14 points of the Trojans following a 10-6 run by the Bobcats to trail 37-23 at the 7:24 mark.
• Mount Olive continued to drain three-pointers, scoring four more, three by Jonathan Mebane, en route to a 21-point, 49-28, lead as the clock ticked under five minutes.
• The final minutes of the opening half saw Lees-McRae go on a 15-5 rally to pull within 11 points of the Trojans with the score sitting at 54-43 heading into halftime.

SECOND HALF

• Don Pigford stepped up for UMO coming out of halftime scoring the first six points for the Trojans on a pair of layups and two free throws to give Mount Olive a 60-45 lead at the 18:15 mark.
• A 9-5 run by LMC put the Bobcats back within 11 points of UMO, 65-54, with 15:23 left in the second half.
• A 15-7 run by Mount Olive was capped off by a Robinson three at 10:28, putting the Trojans up 76-61 heading into a UMO timeout.
• Lees-McRae went on a 10-5 run over the next four minutes to cut UMO's lead to 10 points, 81-71.
• Mount Olive responded with a 9-2 run that shaved off two more minutes from the clock taking back a 17-point lead, 90-73.
• Four free throws and a layup by Matin and a dunk and layup by Pigford combined for the 10 points needed to reach the 100 point mark, 100-80, for the Trojans with 1:50 remaining in the contest.
• The Bobcats closed out the game on a 13-3 run but the Trojans emerged the victors with a 103-93 win on the road.

KEY STATS

• Jamaal Matin dropped a career-high 32 points in the game as the senior shot 9-14 from the field, 5-7 from three-point range and 9-11 from the charity stripe.
• Don Pigford added 18 points, also setting a career-high, after shooting 8-10 from the field and 2-2 at the line.
• Jonathan Mebane was 4-6 from three-point land as he contributed 13 points in the win, while Alan Treakle and Cameron Robinson each tallied 11 points on the night.
• UMO made 17 three-pointers of 22 attempted and went 18-26 from the free throw line.
• On the night, Mount Olive shot 61.8 percent as a team including 77.3 from beyond the three and 69.2 at the line.
• The last time UMO scored 100+ points was on Jan. 23, 2018, in a home victory of Southern Wesleyan, 105-80, at Kornegay Arena.

UP NEXT

Mount Olive continues on their road trip with an away contest at King University on Saturday, January 12. The Trojans and Tornado tip off at 4 PM in Bristol, Tenn., following the conclusion of the women's game.