Limestone shocks conference-leading Mount Olive

Andre Coleman and the Limestone Saints upset conference leading Mount Olive. No. 11 Mount Olive cut a 14-point second half deficit down to five points with two minutes left, but Limestone held on to upset the Trojans 75-65 in Conference Carolinas men's basketball Saturday at Kornegay Arena.

Andrae Franklin led Limestone with 20 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.

Mount Olive (21-5 overall, 16-3 Conference Carolinas) used a 5-0 run to take an 11-8 lead on Shaughnnon Washum's basket with 11:14 left in the first half. Limestone (8-16, 5-13) came back with eight unanswered points and led the remainder of the game.

The Trojans got as close as three points in the final minute after Brandon Streeter hit 3 of 4 free throws. Kenny White answered with another three-pointer with 21 seconds left and the Saints got a goaltending call at the buzzer to go into the locker room with a 30-22 halftime lead.

Streeter, who scored all of his firsthalf points from the free throw line, started the second half with a threepoint play and a pair of layups as Mount Olive pulled within 33-29 with 17:50 remaining.

But Limestone built the lead to double digits as White and Andre Coleman combined for three threepointers to give the Saints a 52-38 lead with 10:35 remaining.

The margin was still in double figures with less than three minutes left when Mount Olive made a final run. After Streeter converted a threepoint play to cut the lead to single digits, Justin Melton made a steal in the backcourt and a layup to pull the Trojans within 66-60 with 2:35 left.

Mount Olive got the ball back on a steal at midcourt and hit 1 of 2 free throws to pull within five. Melton made another steal, but the Trojans missed a pair of free throws and Marques Williams answered with a layup on the other end to build Limestone's lead to 68-61 with 1:13 remaining. That would be as close as Mount Olive would get.

Limestone overcame first-half 2- for-7 shooting from both the line and beyond the arc, hitting 11-of-13 free throws and going 6-for-9 from threepoint range in the second half.

Williams and White scored 17 points apiece for Limestone.

Limestone maintains a half-game lead for the eighth and final spot in the Conference Carolinas Tournament, which begins March 3.