TIGERVILLE, S.C. – After falling behind early in the game, the King University men's basketball team came storming back in the second half to earn their first Conference Carolinas win of the season.
Blake Atwood led the way, scoring 18 points on 5-7 shooting while
Isaiah Curry turned in a double-double, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
THE BASICS
FINAL: King 93, North Greenville 88
LOCATION: Hayes Gymnasium; Tigerville, S.C.
RECORDS: King 3-1, 1-1 Conference Carolinas; North Greenville 1-3, 0-2 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- The Crusaders scored the first six points of the game before Darron Howard made a layup to get the Tornado on the board with 17:33 to play.
- North Greenville then went on a 11-4 run before MJ Foust hit a driving layup. Brandon Lamberth then hit a layup, drawing the foul and hitting the ensuing free throw to trim the lead to six points.
- A Lamberth dunk and Atwood three brought the Tornado to within one point. The Tornado would hang tough with the Crusaders and eventually take a one-point lead off a Michael Mays three with 4:12 left in the half.
- North Greenville would end the half on a 9-1 run to take a 39-32 lead into the halftime break.
Second Half
- Coming out of the locker room, the Tornado wasted no time, as Connor Jordan hit a three just 10 seconds into the half. It was supplemented 22 seconds later when J'Son Brooks hit a driving layup to get King to within two points.
- The Tornado would tie the game with 18:14 left when Mays hit a short jumper, tying the game at 41.
- Brooks hit a layup a short time later to give King their first lead of the night.
- The teams would trade the lead over the next eight minutes before King took it for good with 8:19 left on a Desmond Davis jumper to put them up 61-60.That would kick off a 10-2 run for the Tornado that spanned just 1:47 and gave them a 69-62 lead with under seven minutes to play.
- Atwood stepped to the free throw line with 1:49 to play and proceeded to make four straight shots, stretching the lead to 79-71.
- The Crusaders then went on a run and got the score to a one possession game with four seconds left, but they were unable to regain possession of the ball, with Foust drilling two free throws with under a second left on the clock to seal the deal.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Atwood's 18 points is a new career high, eclipsing the 15 points he scored against Converse Saturday. For the season, Atwood is averaging 11 points per game, third-most on the team.
- Isaiah Curry recorded his first double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and pulling 10 rebounds.
- A total of six Tornado scored in double figures, including Mays (12), Brooks (12), Jordan (12) and Lamberth (13)
FOR THE FOES
- Kameron Hobbs scored 20 points to pace the Crusaders. Joe Conley recorded a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The win snapped what had been a two-game win streak for the Crusaders in the series and was the first King win in Tigerville since Feb. 25, 2020. Overall, the series is now 9-6 in favor of King.
