MOC men down Coker

Published in Sports on January 24, 2006 2:11 PM

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HARTSVILLE, S.C. -- Elton Coffield scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half as nationally 17th-ranked Mount Olive held off Coker 71-58 in Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference men's basketball Monday night.

The Trojans erased an eight-point second-half deficit and held Coker without a field goal over the final 4:26 of the game to record their fourth consecutive win and fifth in their last six games.

Mount Olive (13-3 overall, 7-2 CVAC) jumped out to a 14-5 lead after Montel Jones hit a three-pointer with 11:03 left in the first half. But Coker (3-12, 2-7) scored the next 10 points as Johnny Jackson's four-point play started the run and his three-pointer with 9:49 remaining gave Coker its first lead.

The first half saw five lead changes before Coker made a run to build the lead to 29-22. Victor Young hit a three-pointer with 44 seconds remaining in the half and one second left on the shot clock to pull the Trojans within four, but Blake Terrell hit a pair of free throws with 29 seconds remaining to give Coker a 31-25 halftime lead.

Coker extended its lead to 38-30, but Coffield's three-pointer with 17:35 remaining ignited a 10-0 run to give Mount Olive its first lead since midway through the first half. The game saw six more ties and four more lead changes until Young's two free throws with 9:29 remaining put Mount Olive ahead to stay 50-49.

Mount Olive built the lead to as many as six points before Michael Pierce's basket drew Coker within 58-54, but that would be the Cobras' last field goal of the game.

Coffield drove the baseline off a screen by Elijah Rouse and converted a three-point play to extend the Trojans' lead to seven. Rouse followed with a short jumper and Coffield turned another baseline drive into another three-point play to build the lead to double digits to stay.

"I haven't fared too well in Coker's gym, so I'm glad I was able to contribute tonight," said Coffield. "I just had to let the game come to me and not force anything."

Chris Bartley finished with 12 points for Mount Olive, while Melvin Creddle added 11 points and seven rebounds. Elijah Rouse shared game-high honors with nine rebounds.

Jackson and Pierce shared game-high scoring honors with Coffield with 17 points apiece.

Pierce also pulled down nine boards.

Mount Olive is back in action Thursday as the Trojans return to the site of their East Regional title in last year's NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship. Mount Olive heads to Misenheimer, N.C., Thursday to take on Pfeiffer. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.

MOC Sports Information