Nationally-ranked Trojans enter CVAC play Saturday

Published in Sports on January 6, 2006 2:15 PM

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The nationally ninth-ranked Mount Olive men's basketball team played two crucial East Region games this past week. Now it's time for the Trojans to focus on conference play.

The Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference season resumes in earnest as No. 9 Mount Olive plays host to Anderson on Saturday in a CVAC men's basketball matchup. Tipoff is 4 p.m. at Kornegay Arena.

Mount Olive (8-2 overall, 2-1 CVAC) split a pair of games this week at the West Virginia State University Classic in Institute, W. Va. The Trojans defeated Charleston 87-80 on Tuesday, then fell 99-90 Wednesday to nationally 10th-ranked West Virginia State.

Preseason All-American Elton Coffield scored a season-high 28 points against Charleston and is averaging 15.1 points per game. The 6-3 junior eclipsed the career 1,000-point mark in that game.

Senior guard Maurice Horton, who is averaging 12.7 points per game, has been on a scoring tear as of late.

After being held to two points against Limestone in early December, Horton has averaged 18 points per contest in his last five games, including a career-high 29 points against West Virginia State.

Four Trojans continue to average in double figures with Victor Young at 13.1 points per game and Melvin Creddle with a 12.8 scoring average.

Junior forward Elijah Rouse is the Trojans' top rebounder with 6.7 boards per game.

Anderson (3-6, 1-2) picked up its first conference win Thursday with an 87-76 victory at home over Belmont Abbey. Senior Randy Javois leads four players in double figures with 12.7 points per game.

Mount Olive swept both games last year, winning 81-72 at Anderson and 83-53 at Mount Olive.

Notes: A Mount Olive win would give the Trojans a 9-2 record, equaling their mark after 11 games in last year's 29-win season. ... Elton Coffield's 28 points against Charleston Tuesday was the Trojans' highest individual single-game scoring total this season until Maurice Horton scored 29 points the following night. ... Anderson College became Anderson University, effective January 1.