BELMONT, N.C. — The King University women's basketball team had three players finish in double figures, led by a 15-point performance from
Trinity Lee, but were unable to overcome Belmont Abbey College, falling 76-61 Saturday afternoon.
THE BASICS
FINAL: Belmont Abbey 76, King University 61
LOCATION: Wheeler Center; Belmont, N.C.
RECORDS: King 7-5, 6-3 Conference Carolinas; Belmont Abbey 9-5, 7-3 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Period
- King jumped out to an early lead thanks to a Desiree Bates three and a Lee jump shot off a Belmont Abbey turnover.
- The Tornado extended the lead with 7:28 to go when Alexa Framann pulled an offensive rebound and made the put back layup, forcing the Crusaders to call a timeout.
- After the Crusaders scored seven consecutive points, Brianna Dunbar drilled a three to give King their second lead of the game, 10-9.
- The Crusaders took a 15-12 lead with 4:32 remaining and didn't look back, going on a 15-4 run to end the quarter with a 27-16 lead.
Second Period
- The Tornado started the second quarter on the right foot, with Bates nailing a three to cut the lead to 29-19.
- After a Crusaders layup, Lee hit a three of her own, bringing the Tornado to within 31-22.
- Lee scored again a short time later, pulling a defensive rebound and going the length of the floor on her own, finishing with a layup that trimmed the lead to 31-24.
- Belmont Abbey hit back-to-back buckets of their own to extend the lead to 13, which didn't last long as Jhayda McKinney hit a fast break triple to bring it to 37-27.
- Neither team scored again until there were 39 seconds left and Gramann hit a fast break layup, getting the Tornado to within 37-29. The Crusaders would score in the closing seconds to take a 10-point advantage into the locker room.
Third Period
- King started the third quarter scoring five of the first seven points, including a three from Dunbar and a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 41-34.
- Dunbar would hit two more free throws with 6:24 left in the period to get King to within five points.
- They continued to trim the lead a minute later, as Madison Worley drew a foul, then took the ball on the other end and made a layup to make it a 41-38 game.
- After Belmont Abbey stretched the lead to 10 points, the Tornado got a three from Jaden Potts and a layup from Dunbar, with Dunbar hitting the ensuing free throw to get to 52-46.
- The Crusaders would however score the final six points of the quarter to take a 58-46 lead.
Fourth Period
- Belmont Abbey began the fourth quarter with a 5-2 run, extending the lead to 63-48.
- Bates then picked up a pair of points, grabbing an offensive rebound and making the put back layup.
- King got back to within single digits a short time later, as Lee drilled back-to-back threes, with Dunbar assisting on both of them to make it 67-56.
- After intercepting a bad pass, McKinney made a three of her own, this one coming on a fast break and cutting the lead to 67-59.
- The Crusaders finished the game on a 9-2 run, with Potts supplying the points for King on a layup with 2:09 to play.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Lee finished with a team-high 15 points and five rebounds.
- Dunbar finished with 12 points and also pulled five rebounds. She also led King with four assists.
- Bates added 10 points while paying 33 minutes.
- The Tornado defense forced 23 Belmont Abbey turnovers, while only committing 12.
FOR THE FOES
- Brittany Autry recorded a double-double, finishing with 23 points and 16 rebounds. She had 11 offensive rebounds.
- Jo Snow dished out six assists to go with her 10 points.
- The Crusaders shot 54.4% from the field, while holding King to a 32.5 field goal percentage.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Tornado made 11 threes on the game, which is the fourth time this season they have done that.
- Lee has now scored in double-figures in 20 consecutive games dating back to last season.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado will kick off a three-game home stand Monday when they host Lees-McRae for a 5 p.m. tipoff.
- Belmont Abbey is on the road Tuesday, facing Emmanuel.
