BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University women's basketball team continued their homestand against Belmont Abbey College. The Tornado held a lead for the majority of the contest, but the Crusaders closed the game on a run and beat the buzzer to defeat the Tornado 68-67.

THE BASICS
FINAL: Belmont Abbey 68, King 67
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 3-4, 1-1 Conference Carolinas; Belmont Abbey 7-1, 3-0 Conference Carolinas

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Period

• Ali Golden drilled two triples and a jump shot and Kiki Samsel hit a jump shot and a free throw, keying a run that gave King an 11-2 lead four minutes into the contest.
• Belmont Abbey chipped away and tied the score 11-11 after Allie Downing nailed a jump shot.
• King's offense continued to press the Crusaders defense late into the period, going on another 8-0 run, with Arielle Holloway scoring five of the eight points.
• King finished the period shooting 43.8 percent while holding Belmont Abbey to 26.7 percent, as King led 19-11.

Second Period

• Trinity Lee opened up the period with a jump shot, extending the Tornado lead to 21-11.
• Belmont Abbey responded with an 8-2 run and cut their deficit to 23-19.
• However, King came back and extended their lead to 29-19 after a Ryleigh Fritz jump shot, and a pair of free throws from Holloway.
• Maria Kuhlman hit a triple at the end of the period to cut the Crusader deficit to 36-28 at halftime.

Third Period

• Downing opened the half for Belmont Abbey with a three-pointer that cut the Crusaders deficit to five.
• King answered back with six points from a layup and jump shot by Trinity Lee and a basket by Golden.
• The Crusaders tried to work their way back into the game and answered with a 5-0 run in the middle of the period, cutting their deficit to 44-38.
• However, Arielle Holloway nailed a triple, before Amaya Lee added a pair of free throws to give King a 51-41 lead going into the fourth period.

Fourth Period

• The fourth period was tight in the final minutes, as the lead changed hands five times over the final two minutes.
• With 7:03 remaining, King held a 59-43 lead, but Belmont Abbey went on an 8-0 run to pull within 59-51.
• Golden hit a jump shot and West hit a layup, but Kuhlman made two triples, around a Downing jump shot, bringing Belmont Abbey within 63-59 with two minutes remaining.
• Downing nailed a triple and Spivey added two free throws, giving Belmont Abbey a 64-63 lead, their first lead of the night.
• With 39 seconds left, Fritz pulled King ahead by one after hitting a jump shot.
• However, Spivey answered with a jump shot of her own to give the Crusaders the 66-65 lead.
• Fritz came up big for the Tornado, making a jump shot to give King a 67-66 lead with 14 seconds left.
• On the ensuing possession, Manuela Fugate missed a layup, collected the rebound, and made the putback as the buzzer sounded, giving Belmont Abbey the 68-67 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Golden led King with 14 points while Samsel and Holloway added 12 points each.
• Trinity Lee chipped in with 10 points.

FOR THE FOES

• Downing led Belmont Abbey with 22 points and seven rebounds while Kuhlman added 16 points.
• Spivey added 14 points and nine rebounds.

UP NEXT

• King returns to the Student Center Complex floor on Wednesday when they take on Southern Wesleyan University at 5:30 p.m.
• Belmont Abbey hosts Lees-McRae on Saturday.