PEMBROKE, N.C. – In a matchup of the top two scoring teams in Conference Carolinas, the King University men's basketball team fell to a hot-shooting UNC Pembroke squad. The Braves put together one of their better performances of the season and the Tornado couldn't match their scoring, falling 105-76.
THE BASICS
FINAL: UNC Pembroke 105, King 76
LOCATION: English E. Jones Center; Pembroke, N.C.
RECORDS: King 4-3, 2-3 Conference Carolinas; UNC Pembroke 7-1, 4-1 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Both teams got off to a hot start as the pace was frenetic in the early going.
- Darron Howard drilled a triple to get the Tornado on the board before Connor Jordan scored nine straight points to give King a 12-10 lead four minutes into the contest.
- However, the Tornado shooting cooled, but UNC Pembroke did not as the Braves size seemed to bother the Tornado in the opening 20 minutes.
- UNC Pembroke accounted for six blocks and outscored King 38-18 in the paint in the first half.
- The Braves also shot 61.5 percent from the floor while holding King to a 44.1 field goal percent in the opening 20 minutes.
- UNC Pembroke used a 16-2 run, including 10 straight points to take a 26-16 lead midway through the first half.
- Back-to-back triples from Blake Atwood and Howard pulled King back within 41-28 with four minutes remaining in the half.
- However, the Braves extended the lead and knocked down a pair of triples in the final 30 seconds of the half to take a 58-37 lead at the break.
Second Half
- Every time the Tornado tried to get a run going the Braves had an answer in the second half as they took the contest 105-76.
- The Braves shots a blistering 53.1 percent from the floor while holding King to 40.9 percent.
- UNC Pembroke also had a 58-30 advantage on points in the paint and 26-13 advantage on fastbreak points.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Atwood led the Tornado with 16 points while Michael Mays added 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.
- Jordan added 11 points and J'Son Brooks accounted for 10 points.
FOR THE FOES
- Jordan Ratliffe led five UNC Pembroke scorers in double figures with 24 points.
- Spencer Levi accounted for 23 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four blocks.
- Deon Berrien added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
UP NEXT
- King plays their home-opener on Saturday, December 11 when they host Southern Wesleyan University at 4:30 p.m.
- UNC Pembroke is in action again on December 15 when the host Converse University.
