Mount Olive men and women slip at Anderson

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on January 6, 2008 2:18 AM

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MOC Sports Information

ANDERSON, S.C. -- Brandon Streeter recorded his sixth double-double of the season, Aking Elting sparked a second-half rally and Montel Jones' three-point play thwarted a late Anderson comeback as No. 22 Mount Olive outlasted Anderson 77-70 in Conference Carolinas men's basketball Saturday at Anderson, S.C. Streeter, who ranks 10th in the nation in rebounding, finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Kendrick Easley scored 13 of his 14 points in the second half to share team-high honors.

Saturday's contest was the Trojans' fifth of seven consecutive road games.

The Trojan women rallied from a 10-point deficit late in the second half, but Anderson hit a game-winning three-pointer with less than five seconds left to defeat Mount Olive 50-49.

Mount Olive's men (7-3 overall, 3-1 Conference Carolinas) overcame an early three-point deficit as Shaughnnon Washum's steal and basket with 8:27 left in the first half capped an 18-2 run and gave the Trojans a 23-10 lead. Streeter (seven points) and Mike Holloman (six points) combined for Mount Olive's first 13 points of the contest.

Anderson (3-8, 1-3) forced turnovers on three consecutive Mount Olive possessions and Jarrett Johnson's dunk highlighted a run of seven unanswered points to cut the Trojans lead to 30-28 with 1:30 left before halftime. Mount Olive built the lead back to six on a pair of free throws by Josh Brown and a steal and fastbreak layup by Aking Elting.

A frantic final minute saw both teams score twice as Montel Jones hit a basket with 21 seconds left, but Nayte Russell's layup beat the buzzer and pulled Anderson within 36-32 at intermission.

Streeter scored on Mount Olive's first possession of the second half and Easley converted a three-point play to extend the Trojans' lead to 41-32 with 19:21 left to play. A steal and a blocked shot sparked an Anderson run and Johnson's basket with 14:02 remaining put Anderson back on top 46-45, its first lead since four minutes into the contest.

Washum tied the game with a free throw, but Brandon Young scored the next four points of the game and Kris Fudzinskas' putback gave Anderson its biggest lead at 52-46 with 10:49 left. After Justin Melton knocked down a pair of free throws, Elting sparked a run to put the Trojans back on top.

Anderson got as close as one point after an alley-oop dunk by Johnson with 3:29 left to play. Jones hit a basket after a Mount Olive timeout and Elting's steal set up Easley's putback as the Trojans built the lead to 68-63 with 2:41 remaining. But turnovers on consecutive Mount Olive possessions led to a pair of baskets and Anderson closed the gap 68-67 with 1:18 left.

Easley and Justin Melton combined to hit 6-of-6 free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the win.

Elting added a career-high five steals, while Jones finished with nine points, four rebounds and three steals. Holloman contributed to a balanced attack with eight points, while Melton and Washum added seven points apiece.

The Trojan women trailed 45-35 with 6:06 remaining, but Mount Olive then stormed back with a 12-0 run. Lakeisha Monroe's basket with 1:49 remaining put the Trojans back on top 49-47.

The Trojans held Anderson scoreless on its next two possessions, but Mount Olive turned the ball over with 12 seconds left.

After a timeout, Anderson went the length of the court and Latrice Thomas hit the game-winning three-pointer with 4.6 seconds remaining. Mount Olive called timeout, but a long-distance attempt at the buzzer was off the mark. Brittney Robich led all scorers with 14 points.

Both the Mount Olive men and women return to action Thursday as the Trojans travel to Laurinburg, N.C., to take on St. Andrews in a Conference Carolinas match-up.