Trojan men snap 4-game skid on basketball court

By UMO Media Relations
Published in Sports on November 30, 2015 1:48 PM

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UMO Media Relations

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Dominique Reed tallied seven of his game-high 23 points in the final two-plus minutes of the game, and University of Mount Olive snapped a four-game skid with a 87-83 triumph over Augusta University on Sunday afternoon.

Reed connected on 8 of 10 shots from the floor and finished a perfect 7 for 7 at the free throw line. The senior forward from Garner said the Trojans, who started the season ranked among the top nationally in two Division II polls, had to erase the memory of the four-game skid.

"We came in with a mndset to get the 'W' today," Reed said. "We weren't worried about the last four games. Coach told us they're a new team this year. We can't play off of last year's identity. We need to get our own identity and not worry about the past so much."

The in-region contest was a rematch of last year's opening-round game in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional, won by the Trojans. UMO eventually advanced to the Elite Eight for the second time in program history.

Mount Olive (3-4 overall) trailed 75-74 with 3:58 to play after Augusta's Keshun Sherrill, who led all scorers with 34 points, hit a 3-pointer. The Trojans' JaQuan Blount retrieved an offensive rebound beyond the arc on UMO's next possession and buried a 3-pointer from the right wing to put the Trojans back in front, 77-75.

Augusta (2-2) tied the game on Sherrill's jumper. Reed drained two free throws. The 6-foot-6 swingman capitalized on his size advantage and answered a Jaguar free throw with a conventional three-point play to put UMO ahead 82-78 with 1:59 on the clock.

Tied at 82-all, Reed was positioned left of the lane when he received a pass from Dontrell Brite as the shot clock tripped below 10 seconds. Reed banked in a 10-footer and UMO never trailed again.

Blount picked Augusta for a steal on the ensuing play and hit one free throw. The Jaguars played for the last shot, got an offensive rebound and missed the game-tying 3-pointer.

Brite was fouled on an inbounds pass from Blount and calmly sank both free throws. Brite concluded the game with 20 points and seven assists, while Blount contributed 17 points. Senior Mike Moore flirted with a double-double -- 15 points, eight rebounds.

Each team shot better than 50 percent from the floor. UMO committed a season-low five turnovers, outscored Augusta 38-32 in the paint and converted 14 Jaguar miscues into 18 points.

The Trojans return home Tuesday for a Conference Carolinas doubleheader against second-year member Southern Wesleyan. UMO swept the regular-season series a year ago. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. inside Kornegay Arena.