BRISTOL, Tenn. –
Jordan Akal scored 23 points, with
Mikhail Pocknett adding 22 points and eight rebounds as the King University men's basketball team won their third straight game, 84-76 over Shorter.
THE BASICS
FINAL: King 84, Shorter 76
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Akal got the scoring started hitting a three just 16 seconds into the game.
- After the Hawks took a brief 8-6 lead, Petar Mijatovic hit a layup, starting a 11-0 scoring run that saw the lead turn into 17-8, forcing Shorter to take a timeout.
- Shorter rallied, taking a 22-21 lead with 7:59 left in the half.
- Akal then hit a three, after which Xavier Betancourt hit a pair of free throws, making it a 26-22 Tornado lead.
- The Tornado took a five point lead at multiple points in the final five minutes, including when Mijatovic hit a fastbreak layup with 1:49 left, making the score 41-36.
- After Pocknett hit an old-fashioned three-point play, the Hawks hit a three at the horn to make it a 44-42 King lead.
Second Half
- Abdel-Majid Dylan Gory started the second half off with a bang, with a dunk just two minutes in to get the crowd fired up, and put King in front 46-44.
- Betancourt hit a layup with 15:07 left, starting a 6-0 King scoring run over the next minute, making it a 51-47 lead.
- After the Hawks tied the score at 57 with 10:23 remaining, Seth Cullen hit a three, giving King a 60-57 lead.
- That would turn out to be a lead that the Tornado wouldn't relinquish, leading the rest of the way, though the Hawks trimmed the lead to one point at multiple instances.
- A layup by Pocknett with 5:44 left started a 11-4 Tornado scoring run, resulting in a insurmountable 78-69 lead with just over two minutes left.
- King went 6-of-9 from the free throw line in the final two minutes, taking the 84-76 win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Akal finished with a game-high 23 points, while Pocknett scored 22 points with eight rebounds.
- Mijatovic scored a career-best 12 points, with four rebounds and two steals.
FOR THE FOES
- CJ Williams led Shorter with 18 points, one of four Hawks to score in double figures. Chris Bibbs scored 15, while Jabiri Smith and Jaiden Wynn both had 10 points.
UP NEXT
- King will start a two-game road trip on Wednesday when they play at Belmont Abbey, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
