Box Score CENTRAL, S.C. – Southern Wesleyan fell to the Mount Olive Trojans in Conference Carolinas action in a final score of 65-52 on Friday evening.
Darius Sharpe led the Warriors with 19 points. He was followed by Justice McCullough with 11. Southern Wesleyan posted a field goal percentage of 41.8% compared to Mount Olive's 46.2%. De'Quan Weldon led the Warriors with two assists.
McCullough posted 10 rebounds in the loss. The Warriors had 27 rebounds compared to the 41 rebounds made by Mount Olive. Kevin Stamps had four blocks against the Trojans.
Darrian Brown led the team with three steals, while Sharpe produced two. The Warriors had nine turnovers in the contest compared to Mount Olive's 13.
GAME VITALS
Final: Mount Olive 65, Southern Wesleyan 52
Records: Southern Wesleyan (3-17 / CC 2-10), Mount Olive (6-14 / CC 5-7)
COACH WIMPHRIE SAYS…
"I was very disappointed in the way we played tonight. There was no energy or sense of urgency on offense or defense. We were missing some key players due to sickness, but we didn't challenge Mount Olive tonight. They outworked us for rebounds, lose balls and hustle plays. Tonight's lack of effort is unacceptable. My staff and I accept full responsibility for the team's poor performance tonight."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Trojans struck first in the game Friday night with a 3-pointer from Tyler Thomas. Darrian Brown responded and put the Warriors on the board with a jump shot. A layup from Darius Sharpe put the Warriors ahead 14-13. The Trojans quickly responded and rallied to 18-16 halfway through the first half. Layups from Justice McCullough and Brown, a 3-pointer from Alex Kurtz, and a dunk from Sharpe tied it up at 27-27. The Warriors took the lead with a free throw from McCullough, but it was not enough as the Trojans regained the lead 33-28 at the half.
The Warriors jumped out in the second half with a 3-pointer from Darius Sharpe and a layup from Kevin Stamps to tie it up at 33-33. Shots from Jamal Matin and Cameron Robinson gave the Trojans the momentum to rally and lead 50-35. Despite a late rally with shots from Sharpe and De'Quan Weldon, the Trojans were able to finish on top 65-52.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Warriors will return to Historic Tysinger Gymnasium on Saturday, January 28 to take on the Barton Bulldogs at 4 p.m. They will hit the road to take on North Greenville University on February 1 at 7:30 p.m.
