Hargrove's double-double leads UMO men past Barton

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 25, 2015 1:48 PM

• Print
• Email

WILSON -- Kendall Hargrove recorded a double-double and led five University of Mount Olive players in double figures during a 79-68 conquest of Conference Carolinas archrival Barton College on Tuesday evening.

Hargrove netted 23 points on 8 of 10 shooting from the floor and snagged a game-high 14 rebounds for the No. 10-ranked Trojans, who extended their win streak to 15. Dontrell Brite provided 18 points, while JUCO transfer JaQuan Blount knocked down 12 points.

Jordan McCain and Dominique Reed supplied 10 points apiece. Blount, Brite and McCain each doled out four assists as UMO earned a regular-season series sweep of the Bulldogs for the second straight year in their storied rivalry.

The Trojans trailed 56-54 before Hargrove's dunk with 7:13 remaining created the final tie of the game. McCain drained two free throws with 5:30 remaining to put UMO back in front for good.

Barton climbed to within 60-59 on Danny Shand's 3-pointer, but the Bulldogs managed just one field goal in the final four-plus minutes.

Blount and Brite combined to score Mount Olive's last 11 points in the final 63 seconds to seal the outcome.

The teams battled through six ties and 16 lead changes. UMO shot 50 percent (27 of 54) from the floor and owned a slight 41-37 advantage on the glass. The Trojans dominated inside, outscoring the Bulldogs 42-22 in the paint.

Mount Olive (26-2 overall) picked up its 19th conference win, which matched the conference record for victories in regular-season play. Queens University of Charlotte set the mark in 2001. Barton and UMO tied the record in 2007 and 2010, respectively.

The Trojans return home Saturday to face Erskine in opening-round play of the 2015 Conference Carolinas tournament. Tip-off is 4 p.m. at Kornegay Arena.

Other first-round games are fifth-seeded Lees-McRae at fourth-seeded Pfeiffer; sixth-seeded Barton at third-seeded North Greenville and seventh-seeded Limestone at King (Tenn.)