MOUNT OLIVE, N.C.  – The Converse University men's basketball team fell 81-67 to Mount Olive on Friday evening inside Kornegay arena.
 
Jay Mitchell (Clemmons, N.C.) opened the game with an old fashioned three-point play after he was fouled on a made layup attempt. Jeremiah Phifer scored the first points of the game for Mount Olive with 18:49 to play as Converse held a 3-2 advantage. A few possessions later Javian Cannady gave the Trojans the go-ahead basket in the first half.
 
Following a 17-4 run by the Trojans, sophomore guard Sigurd Lorange (Trondheim, Norway) made a layup and jump started an 11-0 run by the Valkyries offense. Mitchell closed out the run with a layup at the 5:52 mark of the half and the Valkyries trailed 22-20.
 
Converse kept it close throughout the remainder of the opening half and trailed 41-30 at the halftime break. The Valkyries shot an even 50 percent in the opening half and held the Trojans to 45 percent shooting.
 
Earl Burgess III (Spartanburg, S.C.) began the scoring in the second half with a layup and the two squads went shot-for-shot in the opening four-minutes of the period. Despite the Valkyries best attempts throughout the second half they were never able to close the gap within single digits of the Trojans.
 
Lorange led the team with 12-points, Elijah Pitts (Gainesville, Ga.), Mitchell and Burgess each contributed 11-points in the loss. Pitts and Mitchell each hauled in double-digit rebounds to post a double-double against the Trojans.
 
Next Up:
The Valkyries will play Chowan tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 p.m.
 
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