Mount Olive men fall in OT, Women prevail
By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on December 31, 2010 1:47 PM
MOC Sports Information
MOUNT OLIVE -- Mount Olive rallied from a 13-point deficit to go on top in the final minute, but nationally fifth-ranked Augusta State scored the last four points of regulation and the first seven points of overtime to hold off the Trojans 86-78 in non-conference men's basketball Thursday at Kornegay Arena.
Mahamed Ibrahim led Mount Olive with a career-high 21 points, while Ewon Wright added a career-high 20 points, including a three-pointer with 71 seconds left in regulation to give the Trojans a four-point lead.
Augusta State's George Johnson scored 11 of his game-high 31 points in the overtime period.
Mount Olive (6-4) scored the first basket of the game, but never led again until Derek Staton's jumper with 4:48 left in regulation gave the Trojans a 56-55 lead. Brandon Allen added a pair of free throws to cap the Trojans' 13-0 scoring run. Staton and Allen finished with 14 points apiece.
Franck Ndongo hit a pair of free throws for Augusta State (10-0) with 3:39 left, but Wright's jumper on Mount Olive's next possession put the Trojans back on top. After the Jaguars hit 1-of-2 free throws, Wright hit the third of his five three-pointers to give the Trojans a 64-60 lead.
Johnson hit a layup with 52 seconds left and after a Trojan miss, O'Neal Armstrong tied the game 64-64 on a layup with 22 seconds remaining. Mount Olive played for the final shot, but Augusta State's defense forced the Trojans into a long three-point attempt to send the game into overtime.
Travis Keel hit a pair of baskets in the first two minutes of overtime as Augusta State built a 71-64 lead. Mount Olive was held scoreless in the overtime period until Wright nailed a three-pointer with 2:46 remaining to pull the Trojans within 71-67. But that was as close as Mount Olive would get as Johnson scored all of Augusta State's points in a 7-2 run to build the Jaguars' lead to nine. Augusta State scored 22 points in overtime, the last eight from the free throw line.
Mount Olive fell behind 22-9 before Ibrahim's three-pointer capped a 9-0 run to pull the Trojans within four with 5:55 left in the first half. The margin was still four when Johnson hit a three-pointer with 23 seconds left to give the Jaguars a 35-28 halftime lead.
The lead reached double figures again when Keel's dunk with 14:36 left in regulation gave Augusta State a 45-35 advantage. Mount Olive then connected on 6-of-7 free throws during an 8-0 run to pull within a basket before Augusta State built the lead back up to 55-46 when Dory Hines' basket triggered the scoring run that put the Trojans on top for the first time in the second half.
Mount Olive was trying for its second consecutive win against a top 25 team. The Trojans defeated then-No. 23 Virginia Union 79-76 December 16 in a contest that also went to overtime.
Allen, who hit 9-of-10 free throws for the Trojans, pulled down a team-high nine rebounds, coming within one board of his second double-double of the season. He also had a game-high four steals. Hines finished with eight rebounds and six assists.
Mount Olive resumes Conference Carolinas action Thursday as the Trojans travel to Misenheimer to take on Pfeiffer. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m.
Lady Trojans roll
MOUNT OLIVE -- Andrea Jones scored 14 of her game-high 18 points in the first half, including three 3-pointers during a 25-3 run as Mount Olive built a 32-point halftime lead and went on to defeat St. Paul's 85-52 in non-conference women's basketball Thursday at Kornegay Arena. Jasmine Whitby recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Brittany Miller finished with 11 points as 11 different Trojans got in the scoring column. Mount Olive (5-4) resumes Conference Carolinas play Thursday as the Trojans travel to Misenheimer to take on Pfeiffer. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m.