MOC men turn in impressive regional performance

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on February 18, 2007 2:12 AM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- Kendrick Easley scored 15 of his game-high 20 points in the second half as Mount Olive broke a halftime tie, and defeated Queens University of Charlotte 95-71 on Saturday evening.

The contest featured two teams ranked in the East Region's top 10 poll. Mount Olive entered ranked No. 9, while Queens was ranked No. 8 and looked to sweep the regular-season series from the Trojans.

A standing-room-only crowd of 1,475 fans viewed the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference game played at Kornegay Arena.

The victory was the 96th career win for seniors Chris Bartley, Elton Coffield and Elijah Rouse. The trio became the winningest class in Mount Olive men's basketball history. The win also moved the Trojans into a second-place tie with Queens in the CVAC standings.

Mount Olive (19-6 overall, 13-5 CVAC) jumped out to a 10-2 lead as Mike Holloman scored seven points in the first four minutes of the game. The Trojans still held a five-point lead when Darnell Evans scored all the points in a 7-2 Queens run. His 3-pointer tied the game 23-23 with 10:05 remaining.

Rouse's basket put the Trojans back on top, but Queens (17-8, 13-5) scored the next nine points. Chris Jones' two free throws with 5:54 remaining gave the Royals their biggest lead of the half at 32-25.

The Trojans trailed by seven with less than three minutes remaining before the break when Holloman's basket ignited a 9-2 run to end the half and tie the game 38-38. Rouse, who hit two free throws with 54 seconds left, had 10 points and seven rebounds in the first half. Holloman scored all of his nine points in the first half.

Easley, who was held to five points in the first half, scored seven points within the first 3 1/2 minutes of the second half. Mount Olive went on to build a 57-50 lead with 13:29 left to play.

Queens came back to tie the game 59-59 as Patrick Fox's three-pointer highlighted a 9-2 run for the Royals. But Brandon Streeter sandwiched a pair of putbacks around a 3-pointer by Easley, and the Trojans scored 11 unanswered points to take the lead for good.

The Royals got as close as nine, but Streeter's basket with 5:38 remaining gave the Trojans a 73-63 lead and Mount Olive led by double digits the rest of the way. The Trojans' lead eclipsed the 20-point mark in the final 90 seconds after a pair of free throws by Coffield gave Mount Olive a 90-69 lead.

The Trojans held Queens to two field goals over the final four minutes and outscored the Royals 57-33 in the second half.

Mount Olive committed only two turnovers in the second half and only six for the game.

Streeter tallied 17 points and seven rebounds for Mount Olive, while Josh Brown scored 13 points and Coffield finished with 11, all in the second half. Rouse, who sat out the final 15 minutes after picking up his fourth foul, finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. The Trojans outrebounded Queens 42-30.

This year's senior class breaks the career wins record set by last year's four-year seniors Maurice Horton, Chuckie Jefferson and Victor Young. Bartley, Coffield and Rouse need one win to become to first Trojans to record four consecutive 20-win seasons.

Evans, Jones and Andre Lockhart led Queens with 14 points apiece, while John Thompson added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Royals.

Both Mount Olive and Queens need one win or a Pfeiffer loss in the final week of the regular season to clinch a first-round bye and homecourt advantage in the quarterfinal round of the CVAC Tournament, which begins Feb. 26.

The Trojans return to action Thursday at in-state rival Belmont Abbey.

QUEENS (17-8, 13-5)

Jones 3 0 8-10 14, Thompson 5 0 2-2 12, Lockhart 7 0 0-1 14, Miskdeen 1 0 1-2 3, Evans 3 1 5-5 14, Erce 0 1 0-0 3, Frucht 1 0 0-0 2, Qualley 0 0 0-0 0, Fox 2 1 0-1 7, Bailey 0 0 0-0 0, Fritz 1 0 0-0 2, Shortr 0 0 0-0 0. TOTALS -- 23 3 15-21 71.

MOUNT OLIVE (19-5, 13-4)

Rouse 4 0 4-4 12, Walker 3 0 1-1 7, Easley 3 4 2-3 20, Holloman 4 0 1-2 9, Melton 1 0 1-3 3, Dziugelis 0 0 0-0 0, Streeter 6 0 5-7 17, Jones 1 0 1-1 3, Holloway 0 0 0-0 0, Coffield 3 1 2-2 11, Brown 4 1 2-2 13, Bartley 0 0 0-0 0. TOTALS -- 29 6 19-25 95.

Halftime -- Tied at 38-38. 3-point goals -- MOC 6-21, Queens 3-8. Rebounds -- MOC 42 (Rouse 9), Queens 30. Assists -- MOC 26 (Easley 6), Queens 11. Turnovers -- MOC 6, Queens 19. Blocked shots -- MOC 3 (Walker 2), Queens 3. Steals -- MOC 11 (Brown, Melton 3), Queens 2.