Related: No. 13 Men's Basketball Tops Barton In Pickle Classic Opener
MOUNT OLIVE – All-American Quamain Rose scored 16 of his team-high 22 points in the final period to lead a staunch second half effort for the 13th-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team that keyed a 76-69 upset win over sixth-ranked Mount Olive on Saturday evening at the 50th Annual Pickle Classic.
It is the fourth-straight win for the Braves (4-1) who improved to 16-16 all-time against the Trojans, including a 3-2 mark under head coach Ben Miller. Mount Olive (2-3) lost for the third-straight time and finished 0-2 in its home tournament. It was the first victory by a road team in the series since a 115-83 win by the Trojans in Pembroke on Dec. 15, 2004.
Rose complemented his offensive output with eight rebounds, three assists and three steals on the way to Pickle Classic Most Valuable Player honors. He was joined on the all-tournament team by Brandon Winford who tallied 12 points and six rebounds in Saturday's contest, as well as Brandon Watts who finished with seven points, nine rebounds and a trio of assists.
All-American Dontrell Brite poured in a game-best 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting for the Trojans. He was the only Mount Olive player to score in double digits.
UNCP took a nine-point lead, 42-33, just less than three minutes into the second half, but Mount Olive stormed back and got to within a point, 45-44, after a layup by Brite 2-1/2 minutes later. Rose gave the Braves a 13-point lead, 70-57, with a 3-pointer with 4:46 remaining, but the Trojans scored the game's next eight points to make things interesting. The hosts would miss their final four field goal attempts, however, and UNCP got clutch free throws from Jihad Wright and Alex Bradley to win going away.
The Trojans scored eight-straight points to stake claim to a 16-7 advantage midway through the first period, but the Braves scored 12 of the next 15 points and tied the score up at 19 apiece on an old-fashioned 3-point play by Carson Mounce with seven minutes left before intermission. The hosts took a 30-25 lead on an old-fashioned 3-point play from Brite at the 3:24 mark, but the Black & Gold closed out the half on an 11-1 run to lug a 36-31 advantage into the locker rooms.
The Braves will be back in action again on Wednesday when they open the home portion of their 2015-16 campaign against region nemesis Fayetteville State (2-2). Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
