Box Score AIKEN, S.C. – The King University men's basketball team traveled to take on southeast regional rival USC Aiken on Saturday, and the contest went as expected with neither team leading by more than seven points and both teams withstanding runs from the other. The game was tied at halftime, and at the end of regulation, and the Tornado held an 85-81 lead in overtime, but the Pacers came back by scoring seven of the game's final nine points to take the contest 88-87.
King (6-2) fell behind early, but used a 5-0 run to even the score at 11 seven minutes. Mack Owens made a jumper to start the spurt and Malcolm St. Louis ended the quick spurt with an old fashioned three-point play. St. Louis then gave King their first lead of the contest, 14-13 with a jump shot a minute later. Successive free throws from Logan Lyle and James Scales put the Tornado ahead 19-16 before the Pacers (5-4) went on a run.
USC Aiken got a dunk, followed by a triple to regain the lead, and stretched the advantage to 23-19 with a pair of free throws. King bounced back with five straight points, all from Lyle at the free throw line to put the Tornado back ahead. After the Pacers scored five straight points, the teams traded buckets on the next few possessions until Albert Miller III gave USC Aiken their largest lead of the contest, 34-28 with a triple with five minutes left in the first half.
Scales answered with a three-point basket of his own as the teams began to trade buckets. USC Aiken held a 40-34 lead with two minutes left when C.J. Good sparked the Tornado offense with a three-point basket. Scales followed with a pair of free throws to pull King back within one. After the Pacers converted a three-point play, St. Louis made a jump shot before Scales made a layup just before the halftime buzzer to even the score at 43 at the break.
The Pacers jumped out fast again in the second half, but King answered with a run of their own. Trailing 53-49, Hunter LeVeau sparked the Tornado offense with a three-point basket. Mikquell Jackson followed by getting a steal and fastbreak layup as the Pacers tried to bring the ball up the court. Shamarae Watts then got a steal on the next possession and fed Jackson for another fastbreak layup that put King up 56-53 five minutes into the second half. Jackson capped the 9-0 run that put King ahead 58-53 with another fastbreak layup.
USC Aiken came back an got within 65-64 with 12 minutes left, but King again had an answer as Lyle started a run with a pair of free throws. Jackson converted another fastbreak layup, and St. Louis gave King their largest lead of the game, 71-64 with a jumper in the paint with nine minutes remaining.
The Tornado again led by seven 72-65 before the Pacers made a run of their own, scoring the next nine points to take a 74-72 lead with five minutes remaining. However, the Pacers got called for a technical foul as they grabbed the lead, allowing King to take, and make a pair of free throws to even the score at 74 with five minutes left.
The Pacers then hit a triple and got a pair of free throws to go up 79-74 with three minutes, but the Tornado defense dug in. King didn't allow another Pacer point for the rest of regulation, and scored a pair of free throws to make the score 79-76 with two minutes left. Jackson came up big again with 1:39 remaining when he drilled his only three-point basket of the contest to even the score at 79. King then held forced the Pacers into a missed shot with one second left to send the game to overtime.
After USC Aiken scored the first points of the extra session, the Tornado rolled off six straight points to take an 85-81 lead. Scales banked in a jumper from just outside the paint before converting a fastbreak layup to give King the lead. Watts put the Tornado up four with a pair of free throws two minutes into overtime.
However, the Pacers scored the next four points to even the score before St. Louis put King back ahead with a bucket in the pain with 1:25 left. With 21 seconds remaining, the Pacers split a pair of free throws, but got the rebound when the missed the second, and got fouled. They made the next two, taking an 88-87 lead with 17 seconds left. King couldn't get a shot off on their next possession as they fell 88-87.
The Tornado shot 42.9 percent from the floor, including 25.0 percent from three-point range and 64.3 percent from the free throw line. USC Aiken posted a field goal percentage of 42.4 percent, including a 39.4 mark from long range while making 65.5 percent from the free throw line.
Lyle led four Tornado scorers in double figures with 17 points. St. Louis followed with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the double-double. Jackson and Scales chipped in with 13 points apiece.
King will be in action again on Tuesday when they travel to Marshall University for an exhibition contest with the Thundering Herd. Tipoff from Huntington, West Virginia is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
