BELMONT, N.C. --
Quest Aldridge's off-balance jumper from the elbow with 0.2 seconds remaining lifted No. 2-seed Belmont Abbey to a dramatic 63-61 victory over seventh-seeded Mount Olive in the quarterfinal round of the 2021 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Tournament. With the win, the Crusaders earn another home date on Thursday, welcoming No. 6 Chowan to the Wheeler Center. The Hawks upset No. 3-seed and defending tournament champion Southern Wesleyan on the road.
Aldridge's basket game him a team-high 12 points in the contest as he hit 5-of-6 from the field and two of three free throws.
Belmont Abbey improves to 16-4 overall, while Mount Olive ends its season at 5-10.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Sean Halloran and LJ McCoy also reached double figures in scoring with 10 points each. Halloran added a team-best five assists.
- Malik Tucker tied his career best with nine rebounds, while Mario Lacy added eight. The Crusaders held a 30-24 advantage on the boards.
- The Crusaders shot 52.3 percent in the contest, including 57.1 percent (12-of-21) after intermission.
- The Abbey trailed by as many as 10 with just over four minutes left in the first half, but closed to within two, 30-28 at the break. The 10-0 run split around halftime culminated with a Halloran layup that evened the game at 30.
- The Crusaders tried to pull away in the second, stretching the margin to seven, 47-40, at the 9:25 mark, but the Trojans scored five in a row to close the gap. After UMO tied the game at 57 with 2:20 remaining, Aldridge hit two free throws and a layup for a four-point advantage with 1:16 mark.
- But the Trojans made two free throws of their own, before Alan Treakle's layup with eigth seconds left set up the final heroics.
- Halloran (second-team) and Aldridge (third-team) were named all-conference earlier in the day.
- The Crusaders at now 10-2 in games decided by six points or less this season.
UP NEXT
- Chowan visits for a semifinal matchup on Thursday following a 79-75 win over the Warriors.
- The Crusaders defeated the Hawks 85-79 at home on Feb. 16 in the only regular-season meeting.