SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Converse University men's basketball team to Mount Olive 115-108 in overtime on Saturday afternoon inside the Weisiger Center.
 
With the loss, Converse falls to 8-12 overall and 7-7 in Conference Carolinas action this season. Meanwhile, Mount Olive improves to 10-13 overall and 8-7 in Conference Carolinas play this season. With the win on Saturday afternoon, the Trojans have now won three straight against Converse.
 
Mount Olive won the opening tip-off but Joel Pullen forced the turnover on the opening possession. Pullen scored at the other end of the court to give the Valkyries the first points of the match. Mount Olive scored the next six points and opened the contest on a 6-2 run against the Valkyries. It was a game of runs early on as the Valkyries countered the Trojans attack with a 6-2 run of their own.
 
Back-to-back baskets by Caleb Reams and Edoardo Buffo gave the Valkyries a 17-11 advantage with 14:01 to play in the half. The Trojans once again countered offensively and were back within a point down 23-22 with 9:58 to play in first period. The two teams stayed within striking distance for the majority of the half, with 4:45 to play in the period, Da Campo made a layup and the Valkyries held their largest lead of the match at 40-30.
 
Once again, Mount Olive countered and erased the Valkyries 10-point advantage in a matter of minutes. However, Converse held on and went into the halftime break up 52-49 over Mount Olive. Converse shot 64 percent from the field, 70 percent from three point range and 71 percent from the free throw line.
 
Mount Olive started out the second half on a 6-0 run and quickly took a 55-54 lead over Converse. Over the next several minutes of game action, the two squads matched each other shot-for-shot. With 13:21 to play in the contest, Earl Burgess III converted on a free throw attempt and the two teams were tied at 67.
 
Converse faced their largest deficit of the match with 5:02 to play down 89-80. The Valkyries slowly began to chip away at the Trojans lead, and with 2:17 to play Ben Jones connected on a three-pointer and the Valkyries trailed 91-88. With 22 seconds to go in the contest the Valkyries trailed 98-92, Isac Ahnstrand hit a corner three-pointer to pull Converse within a possession of Mount Olive. Raul Perez missed both free throws at the other end for Mount Olive, as Caleb Reams raced up the court and nailed a three-pointer from the top of the arch to tie the game at 98. Lureon Walker's three-pointer fell short as the two teams headed to overtime.
 
In the overtime period, Kyle Monk converted the old fashioned three-point play and the Valkyries held a 101-98 advantage. Mount Olive then used a 9-0 run to take a commanding 107-102 advantage over the Valkyries. Converse made a late push down the stretch, but Mount Olive held on for a 115-108 victory over the Valkyries.
 
Earl Burgess III had a career outing for the Valkyries, the senior finished with a career high 25-points and 11-rebounds against the Trojans. Buffo finished second on the team with 16-points, Reams played hero at the end of regulation and contributed 15-points off the bench for Converse. Leo Da Campo finished the night with 14-points, while Kyle Monk and Jay Mitchell contributed 12 and 11 points respectively.
 
Stat Leaders:
Points – Burgess III (25), Buffo (16), Reams (15), Da Campo (14), Monk (12), Mitchell (11)
Rebounds – Burgess III (11), Ahnstrand (5)
Assists – Reams (7), Monk (5), Pullen (4)

Next Up:
The men's basketball team will stay at home this upcoming week as they battle North Greenville on February 11^th. Tip-off is slated for a 7:00 p.m., start time inside the Weisiger Center.  
 
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