Converse, Mount Olive Advance to Men’s Basketball Quarterfinals

2/27/2023 9:46:40 PM

SPARTANBURG, S.C./MURFREESBORO, N.C. – The 2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Championship quarterfinals are set as sixth-seeded Converse and No. 8 seed Mount Olive advanced in Monday night's second round.

In the 5-8 matchup, it seemed as though fifth-seeded Chowan was going to coast into the quarterfinals as the host Hawks had a comfortable 14-point, 53-39, lead at the half and led by as many as 19 points early in the second half. However, the eighth-seeded Trojans of Mount Olive had other ideas as they outscored Chowan 58-37 over the final 20 minutes for the 97-90 victory. A Isaac Hippolyte layup at the 17:47 mark in the second half gave Chowan a 60-41 lead, their largest of the game, but Kaeleb Carter answered with a layup that sparked a 27-7 run for Mount Olive over the next 5:41, capped by a Colin Radcliffe 3-pointer, to give UMO the 68-67 lead. The teams traded baskets and the lead several times until a Michael Brown layup with 3:25 to play gave Mount Olive the lead for good at 85-84. The Trojans sealed the win with a 14-6 run over the final 3:23. Brown finished with a game-high 37 points while three other Trojans netted double figures. Derreco Miller was one of them with 13 points and a team-best eight rebounds. Jay Estime led Chowan with 23 points while Hippolyte finished with 14 points and a game-best 14 rebounds in the loss.

The 6-7 matchup was a back-and-forth affair that saw No. 6 Converse edge No. 7 Francis Marion 81-78. The game featured seven ties and 17 lead changes, but it was the Valkyries who led at the final horn. Neither team led by more than six points in the first half with FMU claiming the largest margin,13-7, five minutes into the contest. The teams went to the half tied at 37. Francis Marion’s largest lead of the game came after a 15-6 run as a Tionne Rollins layup put the Patriots in front 67-60 with 7:26 to play. However, the host Valkyries responded with an 18-4 run over the next 7:05, led by Uzziah Dawkins who scored 10 points in the rally, to make it 78-71 with 21 seconds to play. FMU made one final push in the final 10 seconds as they hit a pair of 3-pointers, but ran out of time in the 81-78 loss. Bosko Bojovic and Nygel Boozer led Converse with 20 points each while Dawkins finished with 19 and Earl Burgess III added 10. Bojovic also had a team-best eight rebounds. Bryce Beamer led Francis Marion with 21 points as three others finished in double figures including Jonah Pierce who scored 14 and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

Mount Olive will face fourth-seeded Belmont Abbey on Friday, March 3 at 6 p.m. with Converse taking on No. 3 Barton at 8:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Championship at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Fans can watch every game of the tournament live via the Conference Carolinas Digital Network and BlueFrame at conferencecarolinasdn.com. Information regarding the championship schedule, bracket and Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium are available here.

2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Championship
First Round – Sunday, February 26
#7 Francis Marion def. #10 King, 100-80, at Converse (Box Score)
#8 Mount Olive def. #9 Lees-McRae, 95-87, at Chowan (Box Score)

Second Round – Monday, February 27
#6 Converse def. #7 Francis Marion, 81-78 (Box Score)
#8 Mount Olive def. #5 Chowan, 97-90 (Box Score)

Quarterfinals – Friday, March 3 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#8 Mount Olive vs. #4 Belmont Abbey, 6 p.m.
#6 Converse vs. #3 Barton, 8:30 p.m.

Semifinals – Saturday, March 4 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of #4-#8 vs. #1 UNC Pembroke, 5:15 p.m.
Winner of #3-#6 vs. #2 Emmanuel, 7:30 p.m.

Final – Sunday, March 5 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2, 4 p.m.