BELMONT, N.C. –
Isaiah Curry recorded a double-double Saturday afternoon, finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds as the King University men's basketball team fell to Belmont Abbey College 92-85.
Michael Mays led the Tornado with 20 points while shooting 4-of-9 from behind the arc.
THE BASICS
FINAL: Belmont Abbey 92, King 85
LOCATION: Wheeler Center; Belmont, N.C.
RECORDS: King 7-7, 4-7 Conference Carolinas; Belmont Abbey 9-7, 7-5 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- King took an early lead, as Mays drilled a three that was quickly followed by a Shan Jenkins layup to take a 5-2 advantage.
- The Crusaders started to pull away at the halfway mark, going on a 15-4 run to take a 23-16 lead.
- King closed the gap a short time later when Kenny Turner made a layup, followed by a short jumper from Henry Okoye that got the Tornado to within 23-21.
- Belmont Abbey would then embark on a 12-4 run to expand the lead to 35-25 before Zach Grodzki nailed a three.
- The teams exchanged buckets in the final minute, with Curry hitting a layup to close the gap to 37-30 entering the intermission.
Second Half
- King and Belmont Abbey continued to trade baskets in the second half, with Jenkins hitting a layup before Connor Jordan hit a three to bring the Tornado to within 39-35.
- Mays drilled a deep three a short time later to make it a 41-40 game, which didn't last long as the Crusaders scored six consecutive points.
- Foust got the game back to within three, hitting a layup and a pair of free throws to keep the score 47-44.
- The Tornado pulled in front with 13 minutes to go when Turner hit a layup, and held the lead until the 10-minute mark when the Crusaders hit a pair of free throws to take a 59-58 lead.
- King battled back and tied the game on a pair of layups from Curry before taking a lead with 3:25 left when MJ Foust hit a layup.
- The Crusaders would take the lead with a little over two minutes to play and closed the game on a 11-6 run, going 5-of-5 from the free throw line in the final minute to seal the 92-85 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Mays finished with 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting to lead the Tornado. He was one of four to score in double figures, joined by Curry (17), Turner (13) and Foust (11).
- Curry's 12 rebounds led the Tornado, and he also contributed one of the three steals that King recorded.
- Jordan dished out three assists to go along with his seven points.
FOR THE FOES
- Mario Lacy nearly had a double-double, finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds. He shot 10-of-11 from the field and also had a pair of blocks.
- Sean Halloran dished out eight assists, along with scoring 13 points and pulling seven rebounds. Chandler Baer finished with 16 points while Quest Aldridge had 13 points.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- This was Curry's second double-double of the season, with his first coming on Nov. 23 when he scored 10 points and pulled 10 rebounds against North Greenville.
- Mays has scored 20+ points on four different occasions this season and is averaging 15.4 points per game.
- Turner had a career night, scoring 13 points and pulling six rebounds.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado will kick off a busy week on Monday when they host Lees-McRae College at 7:30 p.m.
- Belmont Abbey will take on Emmanuel College Tuesday night.
