BRISTOL, Tenn. –
Jordan Akal scored 27 points Tuesday night as the King University men's basketball team held on for an 80-75 win over Conference Carolinas Northwest Division foe North Greenville.
THE BASICS
FINAL: King 80, North Greenville 75
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Abdel-Majid Dylan Gory and Xavier Betancourt got things started quickly, combining for five points in the first two minutes to give the Tornado the early 5-0 lead.
- Mikhail Pocknett made a tip-in with 12:38 left, giving King a 17-13 lead and starting what would turn out to be a 9-2 King scoring run over the next two minutes, with King taking the 25-15 lead.
- After a Trailblazers bucket with 8:32 to play, Akal hit a three, starting a stretch of eight consecutive King points, extending the lead to 38-20 with 6:01 left in the half.
- Akal would close the half scoring six of the last seven King points, though North Greenville was able to close the gap to 45-33 entering halftime.
Second Half
- King scored nine of the first 10 points coming out of halftime, extending the lead to 54-34 with 17:10 left to play.
- North Greenville slowly started to claw their way back into the game, eventually trimming the King lead to 65-61 with four minutes left to play.
- A free throw by Pocknett, followed by a three from Seth Cullen gave King some breathing room at 69-61 with 3:24 left, but a pair of Trailblazers buckets made it a four-point game.
- Pocknett hit a layup with 2:25 left before a North Greenville turnover that resulted in Akal hitting a layup, making the score 73-65.
- The Tornado closed the game going 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the final minute, with Akal scoring four points to help King hold on for the conference win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Akal led all scorers with 27 points, going a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line.
- Betancourt finished with 18, while Pocknett added 17 and eight rebounds.
- This was the sixth consecutive King win over North Greenville, and the third consecutive win over the Trailblazers inside the Student Center.
FOR THE FOES
- Michael Wilson Jr. led the Trailblazers, scoring 21 points and pulling nine rebounds.
- Other Trailblazers who scored in double figures include CaDarrius Sowell, Max Topham and John Haddock Rogers.
UP NEXT
- King will play their next two games on the road, starting Saturday at Mount Olive.
