MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Isaiah Lewis netted a career-high 21 points as the attempted rally by the Chowan Men's Basketball team came up short against rival, Mount Olive, in Conference Carolinas action on Wednesday evening on the road.

THE BASICS

FINAL | Chowan 86, Mount Olive 89

RECORDS | Chowan 4-8 (1-6), Mount Olive 9-7 (3-5)

LOCATION | Mount Olive, N.C. (Kornegay Arena)

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

Five players scored in double-figures for the Hawks led by Isaiah Lewis with a career-high 21 points on 7-11 shooting.  BJ McLaurin scored 16 points, while Michael Kelly registered a season-high 15 points.  Tahkey Williams (14) and Brandon Mayhan (10) were in double-digits.

Brandon Mayhan and Khalil Ridges hauled in a team-high six rebounds each.

Chowan shot 64.7% from the floor in the second half, but the Trojans went 22-28 from the line in the contest.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half:

BJ McLaurin opened the scoring for the Hawks with a layup.  Isaiah Lewis converted the old-fashioned three-point play and Khalil Ridges knocked down a triple to lead early.  McLaurin added to his point total with a jumper from the elbow to bounce the lead back to the Hawks.

Jamal Thomas and Michael Kelly connected from the floor in a back-and-forth contest nearing the midway point of the opening half, 14-13.  Isaiah Lewis posted a bucket prior to the Trojans taking back the advantage.

Mount Olive went on an 11-3 run as Tahkey Williams hit two from the stripe and Isaiah Lewis went 1-2 from the stripe.  Brandon Mayhan ended the run with a triple to cut the deficit to 26-23.  UMO connected from the floor to answer at the other end.  Williams picked up two more points from the stripe.

As soon as the Hawks pulled within one possession, the Trojans would push their lead further with a three pointer.  Chowan found answers in the paint shooting the double-bonus the final five minutes of the half.  BJ McLaurin tallied a pair from the stripe and scored in the paint to continue to chip away at the deficit, 31-29.

BJ McLaurin continued to score down low, but the Trojans countered with a 10-0 run down the stretch to lead 43-31 and held the Hawks scoreless the final 3:11 of the half.

Second Half:

BJ McLaurin opened up the scoring for the Hawks in the second half after trading buckets with the Trojans.  Isaiah Lewis would score the next six points for the Hawks as UMO maintained their double-digit advantage.

Jaylen Dilliard and Brandon Mayhan converted from the floor to cut the deficit back to single-digits, 51-43.  BJ McLaurin hit a jumper to continue the run for the Hawks.  Mount Olive countered with a quick 5-0 run to push their lead back to double-digits.

Brandon Mayhan and Tahkey Williams knocked down back-to-back triples as the Chowan defense forced turnovers.  Michael Kelly chips in with a layup to trim the deficit to 58-53.

Following the media timeout, Brandon Mayhan continued to pull the Hawks within striking distance with a layup.  UMO would answer with a triple at the other end prior to Michael Kelly converting the three-point play.  Tahkey Williams scored on a goaltending call to cut the deficit to three, 63-60, midway through the half.

Chowan continued to work down low as Michael Kelly converts a layup and BJ McLaurin got fouled inside and picked up two points from the charity stripe.  Isaiah Lewis cut the deficit to two, 68-66, with a pair from the stripe.  Xavier Young evened the score at 68-all with 7:24 remaining.

The lead would swap hands for several possessions with a Michael Kelly bucket.  UMO held the advantage as the Hawks missed their next five shots before Kelly connected from the floor and missed the back end of the three-point play.

Mount Olive took a slight advantage with a three-pointer to lead 77-72 with 4:13 remaining.  Jaylen Dilliard cut into the deficit with a freebie following a flopping technical.  Tahkey Williams finished off a miss to trim the deficit to two, 77-75.

The Trojans started to pull away, but Isaiah Lewis connected from deep to keep the contest within one possession, 81-78.  The Hawks looked to pull closer but missed a pair of freebies.

Michael Kelly added a bucket in the final seconds of the contest.  Tahkey Williams knocked down a triple to keep the rally alive, 86-83.  UMO picked up points at the stripe to maintain the distance for the victory.

UP NEXT

Chowan returns home to take on King in a Conference Carolinas clash on Saturday, January 11.  Tip-off is slated for 4pm.