SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Converse University men's basketball team outscored Mount Olive 40-30 in the second half on Saturday afternoon and edged out a 77-71 victory over the Trojans inside the Weisiger Center.
With the win on Saturday the Valkyries pick up their first ever win over Mount Olive and improve to 3-5 overall on the season and 2-1 in Conference Carolinas action. Meanwhile, the Trojans drop to 2-8 overall and 0-2 in Conference Carolinas play.
Shane Peterson started the game off with a three-pointer for Mount Olive as the Trojans raced out to an 8-0 lead over the Valkyries in the first two minutes of the game. Following a 30-second timeout,
Uzziah Dawkins hit a three-pointer off an
Aaron Porcil pass and the Valkyries were finally on the board. Following a Mount Olive turnover Porcil scored off an assist by
Jordan Warlick and the Valkyries were back with three.
The quick run by the Valkyries did not seem to phase the Trojans as they countered with a 9-0 run and forced Converse to use their second timeout trailing 17-5 with 14:00 remaining in the half. Despite trailing by as many as 16-points in the opening half, the Valkyries continued to linger around chip away at the Trojans lead.
With six minutes remaining in the period,
Trey Smith hit a three-pointer and the Valkyries trailed 29-24. Moments later, Porcil made another layup and the Valkyries were back within three points of Mount Olive. The Valkyries continued the pressure and with 1:25 remaining on the clock,
Sigurd Lorange nailed a three-pointer to pull the Valkyries within a point at 38-37. A three-pointer by Michael Brown at the other end of the court sent the Trojans into the halftime break up 41-37.
The Valkyries momentum from the opening half carried over into the first few minutes of the second half. Nygel Boozer capped off a 9-2 run by the Valkyries with a corner three-pointer and Converse was back on top 46-43. Over the next several minutes of action the two teams traded baskets and momentum swings from one side of the court to the other.
With 11:54 to play in the period,
Kevin Vance blocked Brown's shot and started a fastbreak attempt for the Valkyries offense. Lorange hit a mid-range jumper and the game was tied at 52. Following a media timeout,
Jordan Warlick found Boozer for three-pointer and the Valkyries held a 55-52 advantage once again.
Over the next few minutes of game time it was a back-and-forth affair between the two sides with neither team gaining much momentum one way or another. With 2:10 left to go in the game
Earl Burgess III scored the Valkyries go-ahead basket at 69-68. The Valkyries forced back-to-back turnovers on the defensive side of the ball and Lorange hit another midrange jumper to give the Valkyries some breathing room.
In the last minute of the game the Valkyries hit six free throw shots to ice the game away and come away with the win over Mount Olive.
Uzziah Dawkins led the team with 15-points, 6 assists, and 2 blocks on the evening. Burgess III finished with 15-points and a team best 8-rebounds, Lorange finished with 12-points and Boozer contributed 11-points off the bench.
Next Up:
The Valkyries will have a week off before the host Erskine College next Saturday afternoon. Tip-off I slated for 4:00 p.m. inside the Weisiger Center.
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