Box Score BRISTOL, Tenn. –
Michael Mays became the 36th person in King University men's basketball history to score 1,000 points Monday night, but despite his 25 points, the Tornado were unable to topple Barton College.
THE BASICS
FINAL: Barton 83, King 80
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 5-9, 4-4 Conference Carolinas; Barton 11-5, 9-0 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- It was a close contest early, until the Bulldogs hit a jumper with 15:51 to play that sparked a 6-0 run that saw the lead expand to 12-5.
- Josh Jackson then stepped up and knocked down a three, then nearly a minute later did almost the same thing, making it 12-11.
- Jordan Akal got in on the scoring, hitting a triple with 10:41 to play to give King their third lead of the night, 16-15.
- Barton eventually re-took the lead, later extending it to 28-18 with just under five minutes to play.
- The teams traded buckets in the closing minutes of the half, with Barton getting the better of King, taking a 41-28 lead into the intermission.
Second Half
- King scored the first eight points of the second half, cutting the lead to just five points, 41-36 with 17:06 remaining.
- After the Bulldogs stretched their lead to 61-52 at the halfway point, the King comeback started to kick into gear, with Kenny Turner and Mays both knocking down a pair of free throws before Amarius Beasley found Myles McCrary for the alley-oop, making it 61-58.
- The Tornado continued their run, as Mays later made both free throws, bringing King to within one possession with 8:50 remaining.
- The Tornado and Bulldogs continued to trade buckets down the stretch, with the Tornado battling their way back to within 79-75 with under a minute remaining.
- Mays came up with another bucket with just three seconds left, which made the score 81-80 in favor of Barton.
- After a quick foul on the inbounds pass, Barton made both free throws, and the Tornado were unable to get a shot off prior to the final buzzer.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Mays now has 1,001 career points, making him the 36th person in program history to clear the 1,000 point mark.
- Brandon Lamberth and Kenny Turner both had 12 points, with Turner adding 10 rebounds.
- As a team, the Tornado shot 21-of-21 from the free throw line in the second half, and were 25-of-27 for the game. The 92 percent is their best of the season, and best since Nov. 30, 2021 when they went 6-of-6 against Lees-McRae.
FOR THE FOES
- Trevon Spencer led the Bulldogs offense, scoring 22 points and recording seven blocks.
- Marcus Boykin and Donaven Hairston both scored 18 points, with Boykin grabbing nine rebounds, all of which were defensive.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado will be back inside the Student Center on Wednesday night to take on Belmont Abbey, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
- Barton will be back at home Wednesday as well, hosting UNC Pembroke.
