DUE WEST, S.C. –
Michael Mays and
Darron Howard both scored 20+ points Wednesday night as the King University men's basketball team held off a Erskine rally to pick up an 83-78 victory.
THE BASICS
FINAL: King 83, Erskine 78
LOCATION: Belk Arena; Due West, S.C.
RECORDS: King 4-8, 3-3 Conference Carolinas; Erskine 0-14, 0-6 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Erskine jumped out to an early lead, hitting back-to-back buckets to go up 4-0 in the first 90 seconds.
- King would tie the game at 6 off a Howard jumper with 16:17 left in the half.
- The Tornado took their first lead of the game with 13:50 left, when Henry Okoye knocked down a three, which was quickly followed by Mays hitting a three of his own to stretch the lead to 14-8.
- After Mays knocked down another triple, Erskine started to claw back, eventually taking a 21-19 lead with just under 10 minutes to play.
- After a Kenny Turner layup that tied the game at 21, Erskine would take another lead, one which they would hang onto until there was five seconds left, when Zach Grodzki hit a layup to hand the Tornado a 36-35 lead into the intermission.
Second Half
- King started the half by building a 42-37 lead, with Howard knocking down a pair of free throws and hitting a layup.
- After consistently battling back and keeping the game close, Erskine took a narrow 68-67 lead with 4:52 to play.
- The Tornado would retake the lead, then build their largest lead of the night, 76-69 with 2:51 remaining.
- Erskine fought back to within two points, but the Tornado would hit three free throws in the final minute to claim the 83-78 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Mays finished with 26 points and three rebounds, while Howard scored 23 points and was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.
- Turner pulled 19 rebounds on the night, which is a new career-best.
FOR THE FOES
- Lanyc Shuler scored 27 points for Erskine, with five rebounds.
- Jaylen Prioleau pulled 11 rebounds.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado will be back in action Saturday when they take on Francis Marion at 4 p.m.
- Erskine will be at Lees-McRae Saturday afternoon.
