MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Coker's Bryce Arnott (Melbourne, Australia) scored a season high 13 points, but it was not enough to lead the Cobras to victory as they lost to Mount Olive 68-62. The Conference Carolinas loss drops the men's basketball team to 6-4 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
Mount Olive outscored Coker 39-30 in the opening half, with the Cobras holding a 32-29 advantage in the second half. However, the second half outpouring was not enough for the Cobras to pick up a win.
Coker trimmed the Trojan lead to just four points with only a minute remaining, but free throws by Craig Hayes and Jordan McCain down the stretch put the game out of Coker's reach.
Along with Arnott's 13 points, Andrew Morris (Melbourne, Australia) added 11 points and Julian Nelson (Irmo, S.C.) chipped in 10.
The Trojan's Hayes led all scorers with 35 points and 12 rebounds, while Kason Cheeks scored 14 points.
The Cobras return to the floor on Thursday for their second of three conference games this week. Coker will host Barton College at 7:30 p.m. at the Timberlake-Lawton Gymnasium.