College hoops; Trojans return to action

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on November 27, 2006 1:47 PM

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After taking a short break for Thanksgiving, the nationally 19th-ranked Mount Olive men's basketball team resumes conference play tonight as the Trojans travel to Banner Elk to take on Lees-McRae in Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference action. Tip-off is 7 p.m.

Mount Olive (2-1 overall, 0-1 CVAC) hopes to even its conference mark after falling 103-96 at Pfeiffer last Tuesday. The loss marked the third time in four years the Trojans lost their conference opener.

Senior Elijah Rouse notched a pair of career highs in the game with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Rouse, who has two double-doubles in three games, is averaging a double-double in the early going with 16.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game.

Senior Elton Coffield ranks eighth in the CVAC in scoring with 18.3 points per contest. Coffield, who earned his second Pickle Classic MVP award, scored 27 points in the Trojans' season opener.

Newcomers have played an early role for the Trojans as freshmen Kendrick Easley and Mike Holloman and junior transfers Brandon Streeter and Lydell Walker have combined to average 40 of Mount Olive's 92 points per game.

Easley has reached double figures in each of his first three games, while Holloman scored a career-high 16 points against Pfeiffer. Streeter is averaging 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while Walker is averaging 7.3 points and 1.7 blocked shots per contest.

Lees-McRae (2-2, 1-0) split a pair of games over the weekend at the Bobby Lutz Tournament, hosted by Pfeiffer. The Bobcats defeated UNC Pembroke 76-72 Friday before falling to Pfeiffer 88-75 in a non-conference contest. Lees-McRae opened conference play Tuesday with a 63-42 win over Anderson.

Mount Olive posted a 4-0 mark over Lees-McRae last year, posting a victory over the Bobcats in the Pickle Classic, winning both conference games and defeating Lees-McRae in the quarterfinal round of the CVAC Tournament.

Tonight's contest marks the only time this season the Trojan men's basketball team does not play a conference game as part of a doubleheader with the women's basketball team. The Trojan women's team plays at Lees-McRae on Jan. 6.