ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. -- Elizabeth City State led wire-to-wire and held off a second-half push from Mount Olive to secure a 72–67 victory Wednesday afternoon at the R.L. Vaughan Center.

The Vikings set the tone early, shooting 55.6 percent from the floor in the first half to build a 37–25 advantage at the break. ECSU controlled the paint and pushed the tempo, turning defense into offense and never relinquishing the lead.

Mount Olive trimmed the margin in the second half behind strong bench production, outscoring ECSU 42–35 after halftime, but the Vikings answered each run with timely baskets and defensive stops down the stretch.

Trevor Smith led all scorers with 19 points, adding five assists and four steals. Donovan Flamer was nearly perfect from the field, finishing with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting while pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds and swatting five shots. Kenneth Miller and Terence Thorbs each added eight points, while Jawan Browder chipped in eight off the bench.

ECSU shot 46.6 percent from the field and knocked down seven three-pointers, while matching Mount Olive with 36 points in the paint. The Vikings also forced key turnovers and held Mount Olive to 36.4 percent shooting overall.

Elizabeth City State improves to 2–7 overall and 1–3 in CIAA play. The Vikings will look to build on the momentum as conference action continues.