Box Score MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. - Senior center Jon Crawley (Richmond, VA) scored 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting to lead four Saint Augustine's University double-figure scorers in a 78-72 men's college basketball loss to host Mount Olive College at Kornegay Arena on the first day of the Mount Olive Pickle Classic on Friday, November 22, 2013.

Junior guard Amere May (South Haven, MI) added 14 points and senior guard-forward Joel Kindred (Raleigh, NC) and sophomore forward Daniel Clark (Danville, VA) each scored 13 points for the Falcons (2-2 overall). Clark collected 13 rebounds and four assists and Kindred had 10 boards.

The Falcons led only three times but stayed close enough to make things uncomfortable for Mount Olive (4-1 overall), who were playing on their home court in front of a capacity crowd of mostly Trojan fans. The Falcons trailed by 11 in the second half, but Crawley converted a three-point play to put the Falcons within two points at 71-69 with 2:26 left.

That was as close as the Falcons would get, however. A layup by Dory Hines started a 7-3 run which pushed the Trojans to victory. The Trojans made five of nine free throws during that stretch.

"Win or lose, we come to hustle," St. Aug Head Coach Tony Sheals said. "As we get more seasoned and experienced, we will learn how to start and finish."

The Trojans threatened to pull away several times, but the Falcons always climbed back into the contest. In the early moments, the Trojans started off with a 10-3 lead, but a three-pointer by junior guard Raheem Jolliffe (Fayetteville, NC) gave the Falcons their first lead at 17-16.

The Trojans re-gained momentum and built a seven-point lead on a John Wieland three-pointer, but they couldn't shake the Falcons, who came back to tie the game twice. Freshman guard Anthony Gaskins (Greenville, NC) knotted the score with two free throws at 40-40 before the Falcons went into halftime behind 42-40.

The Trojans opened an 11-point lead early in the second half, but the Falcons would not go away. Two Clark free throws sliced the deficit to 59-55 with 11:27 remaining. The Falcons made the game interesting the rest of the way before the Trojans held on.

Coach Sheals was proud of the way his team fought despite shooting 30 percent in the second half. They pounded the offensive glass for a 13-7 edge in the second half which led to 11 second-chance points. The Falcons also scored 10 points off seven Trojan turnovers in the second stanza.

"Our guys showed resiliency," Sheals said. "We played a team that has been to the NCAA Tournament five of the last eight years. They know how to win as a program. It was also their alumni game. We could have gotten embarrassed but we came back."

Gaskins and Jolliffe added seven and six points off the bench, respectively, for the Falcons. Redshirt sophomore Keith Crawford (Richmond, VA) led the Falcons with five assists. Dominique Reed scored a game-high 22 points for the Trojans, who won their fourth straight game. Hines added 15 and Wieland scored 11 points for the Trojans, who shot 47 percent for the contest.

The Falcons return to action on Saturday, November 23 against Barton College on the second and final day of the Mount Olive Pickle Classic. Game time is 5 p.m.