BRISTOL, Tenn. –
Darron Howard had another big night for the King University men's basketball team as the Tornado avenged a defeat earlier in the season. The Tornado lead nearly the entire contest, defeating Barton College 89-80 on Tuesday night.
THE BASICS
FINAL: King 89, Barton 80
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 5-10, 4-9 Conference Carolinas; Barton 4-6, 4-6 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- In the early going, the teams traded blows with three lead changes and three ties in the opening 10 minutes.
- A 7-0 run gave King an early 11-5 lead following an Isaiah Curry layup, but the Bulldogs came back to even the score at 13.
- The score was again tied at 16 and 18 before a J'Son Brooks triple put the Tornado ahead.
- The Tornado lead grew to 31-23 following another Curry layup, but Barton came back and evened the score at 33 with four minutes remaining until halftime.
- The tie was broken as Brooks dunked an offensive rebound and Howard drilled a triple on the next Tornado possession.
- Drew Baker closed the half with a steal as he found Howard streaking down the court to give King a 45-35 lead at halftime.
- King shot 53.1 percent from the floor in the opening half.
Second Half
- Howard opened the second half with a basket, and the Tornado held a 49-37 lead when Barton started to gradually work their way back.
- Barton used a 12-1 run to pull within 50-49, but Howard came to the rescue with a basket for the Tornado.
- On the other end of the floor, Brooks came up with a block, and MJ Foust made a layup with an assist to Connor Jordan to stretch the King lead back to 54-49.
- King then put the game out of reach with a 12-0 spurt, started by a pair of Jordan baskets.
- A Howard three-point play gave King a 66-51 lead midway through the half.
- The King lead grew to 75-56 with six minutes remaining as the Tornado held off a late Bulldog surge to take the contest 89-80.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- King shot 50.0 percent from the floor, their highest shooting percentage of the season.
- Howard led the offense with 24 points and added seven rebounds.
- Jordan added 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.
- Brooks chipped in with 13 points.
- Curry added seven points and eight rebounds.
FOR THE FOES
- Isaiah Reddish led Barton with 19 points and six rebounds while David Campbell added 16 points and six rebounds.
- Brandon Burford added 16 points and Marcus Boykin accounted for 10 points and seven rebounds.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Howard's 24 points sets a career-high, breaking his previous high of 22 that was set on Friday night.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado travel to Lees-McRae College on Thursday night with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
- Barton travels to Emmanuel College on Friday.
