BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University women's basketball got off to a hot start against Belmont Abbey College and held a lead at halftime. However, the Crusader defense clamped down in the fourth quarter, fueling a Belmont Abbey comeback as they took the contest 76-65.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Belmont Abbey 76, King 65
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 4-5, 2-2 Conference Carolinas; Belmont Abbey 7-3, 4-0 Conference Carolinas

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Kristen Cupples opened the scoring with a triple to start the contest and Che' Davis later scored three of her five first quarter points on an old fashioned three-point play, giving King an early 8-4 advantage.
• Arielle Holloway drilled a triple and Taylor Freeman gave King the final five points of the opening stanza to put the Tornado ahead 23-12.
• In the second quarter, King used a 6-0 spurt to earn their largest lead of the contest at 33-16. Arnelle Collins started the run with a layup and Davis finished it with a pair of baskets in the paint.
• However, the Crusaders started to chip away, answering with a 6-0 run of their own.
• Belmont Abbey cut their deficit to five with one minute remaining, but Freeman answered with a three-point play.
• The Crusaders scored the final points of the quarter, but King led 40-34 at the half.
• Collins stretched the Tornado lead to 50-41 following a steal and a layup, King's largest lead of the second half.
• Belmont Abbey again scored the final points of the quarter, cutting the King lead to 57-50 going to the final period.
• In the final stanza, the Crusader defense dug in, holding King to a 12.5 field goal percentage. On the offensive end, Belmont Abbey shot 58.3 percent from the floor and used a 13-0 run to take the lead.
• Belmont Abbey held King without a field goal for nearly seven minutes.
• The Tornado tried to comeback late, but it was too much as Belmont Abbey took the contest 76-65.
• Freeman led King with 17 points, six rebounds and three assists.
• Collins added 12 points and Davis chipped in with 11 points.

FOR THE FOES

• Emry Tsitouris led Belmont Abbey with 19 points and 13 rebounds for the double-double.
• Maria Kuhlman followed with 14 points and Allie Downing added 12 points and five rebounds.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Freeman came within one of her career-high of 18 points, set on November 21 against Lincoln Memorial University.

UP NEXT

• King travels to take on UVa-Wise on Tuesday. Tipoff from Wise, Va., is slated for 2:00 p.m.
• Belmont Abbey travels the University of Charleston (W.Va) on Tuesday afternoon.