MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. — The University of Mount Olive men’s basketball team erased a halftime deficit with an explosive second half and delivered in the closing moments to secure an 80-76 Conference Carolinas victory over Converse on Saturday night at Kornegay Arena.
After trailing 35-30 at the break, the Trojans flipped the momentum by scoring 50 points in the second half while shooting an impressive 68 percent from the field. Mount Olive also limited Converse to 41 points over the final 20 minutes to pull out the conference win.
Christian Ananaba led the way with a dominant performance, finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-11 shooting. The junior made several key plays down the stretch, including giving Mount Olive the lead for good in the final two minutes. Redford Dunton added 20 points, knocking down a pair of timely three-pointers, while Shawn Wilson contributed 13 points by consistently attacking the basket.
Matt Kirby recorded seven points and three assists, and the bench provided a combined nine points from Jefferson McLamb and Raul Perez.
The tightly contested matchup featured 10 lead changes and nine ties, with neither team holding a lead greater than eight points. With the score tied at 72 late in the game, Ananaba converted a free throw and followed with an offensive putback to put the Trojans ahead 75-72. After Converse responded with a layup, Dunton drained a clutch three-pointer to extend the lead to four.
Converse cut the deficit to two in the final minute, but Wilson sealed the victory with a driving layup in the closing seconds.
Mount Olive held advantages in the paint, outscoring Converse 40-36, and added 13 fast-break points to improve to 9-13 overall and 6-8 in Conference Carolinas play.
The Trojans return to action on Wednesday, hosting Barton at Kornegay Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
