University of Mount Olive’s Raeford Dunton attempts a shot against Shorter University defender Ja’Myas Davis (22) during first-half action Saturday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
University of Mount Olive’s Savannah McAfee loses possession of the ball during the closing minutes of a three-point loss to Shorter University on Saturday. Shorter Univeristy’s Tiara Lewis watches and waits for the call from the referees. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
University of Mount Olive launched its 2024-25 Conference Carolinas basketball campaign with a doubleheader split against newcomer Shorter (Georgia) University on Saturday afternoon.
The Trojan women fell 52-49, while the men struggled to close out a 99-89 victory inside Kornegay Arena.
“We’ve got to grow up a little bit faster … got to finish games better, especially like the last five minutes of this game,” UMO men’s head coach Zach Grant said. “We made some stupid turnovers, mixed some from free-throw line box outs … didn’t finish the game with toughness. On the flip side, it’s a conference game and we’re 1-0 in the league.”
Shane Peterson and Chase Dawson paced the Trojans’ offense with 21 points apiece. The duo combined to shoot 14 of 22 from the floor, including 5 of 9 from behind the 3-point arc.
Despite foul trouble, Lureon Walker contributed 14 points and a team-high five rebounds. Raeford Dunton dropped in 11 points.
CJ Williams’ uncontested layup gave Shorter its biggest lead, 14-8, with 13:28 left in the opening half.
Dawson knotted the contest at 19-19 with back-to-back free throws. Walker and Peterson responded with consecutive 3-pointers to ignite a 12-0 run that included a one-handed dunk and trifecta from Walker.
UMO led 31-19 with 5:06 before the break.
Dawson, Walker and Peterson walked into the locker-room with double-digit performances on their respective stat lines. The Trojans led 45-32 at that point.
Raul Perez stretched the UMO lead to 56-37 on a 3-pointer with 16:19 left in regulation. The Hawks answered with a 15-3 run, capped by two Colton Banks free throws at the 12:56 mark.
“When we have a lead, we need to sustain it, we need to be tougher on the rebounds,” Grant said. “I haven’t looked the stats, but I know for a fact they got double-digit, second-chance points and that’s awful.
“Weak box-outs [too].”
Raeford Dunton’s 3-pointer off a fast-break possession boosted the Trojans’ advantage to 76-60. That margin remained in double digits, but the Hawks (0-1 Conference Carolinas) refused to fall further behind and eventually lost by 10.
Grant plans to review the game film before Tuesday’s conference road encounter at King (Tennessee) University. He’ll notice one glaring factor – the Hawks owned the glass 43-26 (including a 25-8 in the second half).
Shorter led 20-8 in second-chance opportunities.
“That’s not going to work,” Grant said. “We’re going to grow from this and we’re going to continue to get better.”
Women
Newcomer Savannah McAfee swished a pair of free throws early in the third quarter, which pulled UMO to within 27-25.
The Trojans’ next 12 possessions resulted in one made field in eight attempts and four turnovers. The The futility enabled Shorter to extend its advantage to 37-27 with 1:46 to go.
UMO battled back.
Destiny Thompson’s jumper capped an 11-3 run that closed the gap to 40-38 around the eight-minute mark in the fourth quarter.
Again, the Trojans gave up another run.
Shorter led 46-39 until Thompson buried back-to-back free throws to make it 48-47 with 53 seconds left in regulation. The Hawks extended their advantage to 52-48 on four Tionna Baker free throws in the closing seconds to seal the road win.
Thompson finished with 17 points for UMO, which dropped to 1-3 overall this season. McAfee provided 10 points and six rebounds. Amber Nealy doled out three assists and Jade Priebe pulled down five rebounds.
UMO travels to King on Tuesday.
You may reach sports writer Rudy Coggins at prepswriter2@gmail.com or call/text 919-709-9257.
