Pfeiffer visits MOC tonight in key CVAC battle

Published in Sports on January 10, 2005 1:55 PM

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MOUNT OLIVE - The last time the Mount Olive and Pfeiffer men's basketball teams hooked up in College Hall, the result was a game for the ages, a contest that saw both teams eclipse the century mark and that was decided by the "shot of the century." Since last year's game took place on a Monday night, call tonight's match-up "Big Monday - The Sequel."

In a matchup of two of the three highest-scoring teams in the nation, Mount Olive plays host to Pfeiffer in Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference men's basketball tonight at College Hall. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m.

Tonight's contest not only pits the two remaining teams unbeaten in conference play, the game will also have an impact on the NCAA Division II East Region rankings. Mount Olive enters tonight's game ranked No. 10 in the region, just behind Pfeiffer at No. 9.

Mount Olive (9-1 overall, 3-0) extended its winning streak to seven on Saturday with a 104-62 victory over Queens. Elton Coffield, the Trojans' top scorer at 18.2 points per game, led six players in double figures with 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting, including 3-for-3 from three-point range. Coffield ranks 20th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage.

The starting-guard tandem of Melvin Creddle and Maurice Horton are combining for an average of nearly 24 points and seven assists per game.

Creddle tallied 17 points and six assists Saturday. Horton, who ranks 33rd in the nation in steals per game, recorded five steals in Saturday's contest.

Mount Olive reached the century mark for the fifth time in 10 games this season, but Saturday's contest may have been the Trojans' best defensive effort of the season. Mount Olive forced 29 turnovers against Queens and outscored the Royals 35-9 in points off turnovers.

Pfeiffer (6-2, 2-0) defeated St. Andrews 105-83 Saturday in the Falcons' first game in more than a month. Rico Grier led Pfeiffer with 22 points.

In last week's NCAA II men's basketball statistics report, Mount Olive was ranked No. 2 in scoring offense, followed by Pfeiffer at No. 3.

Pfeiffer has reached the 100-point mark four times in eight games this season.

In last year's contest at College Hall, Mount Olive pulled out a dramatic 108-105 victory over Pfeiffer as Marcus West hit an 80-footer at the buzzer to give the Trojans' the win. West's shot was No. 1 on ESPN Sportscenter's "Top 10 Plays of the Day" and aired nationally on broadcast and cable networks.

Both teams may be looking for a measure of revenge in tonight's contest.

While Pfeiffer hopes to avenge last year's buzzer-beater loss, Mount Olive hopes to get even from the two teams' last meeting when the Trojans fell to Pfeiffer 106-95 in the championship game of last year's CVAC Tournament.

The Trojans played last year's tournament championship game without 6-8 center Sharome Holloway, who missed the final month of the season with a wrist injury. Holloway, who has started all 10 games this season and is averaging 9.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, tallied career highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds in last year's game at College Hall.

MOC women

look to stay hot

MOUNT OLIVE -- The good news for the Mount Olive College women's basketball team is that the Trojans seem to have gotten their offense untracked. The other good news is that the Trojans' defense continues to make the stops when needed.

Mount Olive hopes to remain unbeaten in conference play as the Trojans play host to Pfeiffer in Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference women's basketball tonight at College Hall. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m.

Mount Olive joins Belmont Abbey as the only two CVAC women's basketball teams unbeaten in the conference. Mount Olive is the school in the CVAC to have both its women's and men's basketball teams unbeaten in conference play.

Mount Olive (5-4 overall, 3-0 CVAC) is coming off a 75-65 victory over Queens in the Trojans' highest-scoring output of the season. The Trojans averaged only 54.6 points per contest in their first seven games, but have averaged exactly 70 points in their last two contests.

Ladora Charles, who scored 19 points against Queens, leads the Trojans with 11.4 points per game. Teneal Boone has reached double figures in each of her last three games and is averaging 10.1 points per contest.

Latoria Harvey has provided the biggest spark for the Trojans in their last two games, recording back-to-back double-doubles. She finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds against Queens, notching 10 points and eight boards in the second half as the Trojans pulled away in the final minutes.

Harvey also tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds in the Trojans' 65-63 win at Barton Thursday, hitting the game-winner with 3.5 seconds remaining for the Trojans' first win on Barton's home floor in more than seven years. The win became even more significant two days later when Barton stunned nationally ninth-ranked Anderson. Harvey is averaging 9.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

Pfeiffer (1-7, 1-1) picked up its first win of the season Saturday with a 66-46 victory at St. Andrews. Angela Hagan led Pfeiffer with 20 points.

Mount Olive won all three meetings against Pfeiffer last season, including an 83-52 victory in the first round of the CVAC Women's Basketball Tournament. Boone recorded double-doubles in each of the three meetings.