BRISTOL, Tenn. – Four members of the King University men's basketball team scored in double figures Saturday afternoon, but the Tornado narrowly fell to Conference Carolinas foe Mount Olive, 100-91.
THE BASICS
FINAL: Mount Olive 100, King 91
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 3-8, 2-3 Conference Carolinas; Mount Olive 3-8, 1-3 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- The Tornado and Trojans were evenly matched early, as there were four lead changes in the first six minutes of the game.
- After Amarius Beasley hit a driving layup with 12:04 to play, the Trojans hit a three to go up 16-14, a lead that they would hang onto for the remainder of the half.
- That started a 10-2 Mount Olive run that saw their lead expand to 23-16 with 9:12 left.
- The Trojans lead would continue to increase, eventually reaching 39-30.
- King would close the half on a 15-8 run, with Michael Mays scoring five points, while Kenny Turner and Brandon Lamberth both had four to make it 47-43 Mount Olive at halftime.
Second Half
- After the intermission, it took all of 13 seconds for the Trojans to score, putting them up 49-43.
- The Trojans hit a layup 45 seconds later to kick off a flurry of scoring that saw Jaylen Bernard knock down a three, getting the Tornado to within 51-46.
- Mount Olive was able to pull away, eventually taking a 78-63 lead with just under nine minutes to play.
- The Tornado started to gain momentum when Darron Howard hit a three, cutting the lead to 82-70. Turner quickly followed with a steal and dunk, making it a 10-point game.
- King continued to work their way back, with Beasley grabbing an offensive rebound and hitting the bucket to make it 93-85 with two minutes left.
- After UMO hit a three with 1:36 left, the Tornado were unable to complete the comeback, eventually falling 100-91.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Four different players scored in double figures for the Tornado, as Mays, Lamberth, Turner and Bernard all scored 16 points, with Turner adding seven rebounds.
- The Tornado forced 11 Mount Olive turnovers, turning them into 12 points.
FOR THE FOES
- Michael Brown led all scorers, scoring 32 points while also dishing out six assists.
- Ryan Roberts had 12 rebounds for Mount Olive.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado are off for two weeks until they play at Erskine on Jan. 4, 2023.
- Mount Olive will host Wingate on Dec. 31.
