BRISTOL, Tenn. –
Desiree Bates recorded her first double-double of the season for the King University women's basketball team Wednesday night as they held on to beat Erskine College 51-48. Bates finished with 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
THE BASICS
FINAL: King University 51, Erskine College 48
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 9-5, 8-3 Conference Carolinas; Erskine 0-17, 0-15 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Period
- The Tornado dominated the early part of the game, scoring the first 11 points before the Flying Fleet were able to get on the board with just under four minutes to play.
- Bates scored four points in the initial onslaught, with Ryleigh Fritz contributing a three and Trinity Lee hitting a pair of free throws.
- After the Erskine basket, both teams went cold, as nobody was able to make a bucket until 1:04 left in the quarter when Bates made a short jumper in the paint, giving King a 13-3 lead.
Second Period
- The Tornado started the second quarter like they did the first, hitting a pair of buckets, including a three from Jada Campbell that extended the lead to 18-3.
- After an Erskine three, Dunbar responded a few seconds later, taking a pass from Fritz and hitting a quick triple of her own to give King a 15-point lead.
- The Flying Fleet hit a three with under six minutes to play, narrowing the advantage to 21-9.
- The Tornado then scored four straight points, thanks to a jumper from Harville and a pair of free throws from Fritz.
- The teams would trade buckets down the stretch, with King getting a layup from Madee Denton in the closing seconds to take a 29-15 lead into the locker room.
Third Period
- Dunbar started the third quarter on the right foot for King, drilling a three just 13 seconds into play, but Erskine came alive, going on a 9-2 run to cut the Tornado lead to 34-24.
- The game continued to tighten, with Erskine hitting a pair of threes in the final minutes to cut the lead to 34-30.
- Bates would hit a layup with 17 seconds to play, giving King a narrow 36-30 lead heading to the final period.
Fourth Period
- Once again, the quarter started on a good note for King, as Lee recorded a steal and dished the ball to Fritz, who hit a pull-up three to make the lead 39-30.
- After exchanging free throws over the next four minutes, Lee nailed a triple of her own to give King a 46-33 lead.
- Erskine then went on a 6-1 run, trimming the deficit to 47-39 with just under three minutes to play.
- The Flying Fleet were able to get to within three points in the closing seconds, but Dunbar and Fritz hit free throws in the final seconds to hang on for a 51-48 win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Dunbar led the Tornado in scoring, doropping 13 points and pulling four rebounds.
- Fritz finished with 11 points and a team-high three assists.
- Bates led the team in rebounds with 10 to match her 10 points.
FOR THE FOES
- Amaya Richardson scored 14 points for Erskine, while Anzya Cook had 13 and a team-high four assists.
- Carmen Chandler had 10 rebounds for the Flying Fleet.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The 10 rebounds for Bates is the second-most of her career, and marks a season-high.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado are back on the court on Feb. 2 when they face Barton College in a road matchup before returning to the Student Center to host UNC Pembroke and Francis Marion University that weekend.
- Erskine will continue their road trip Saturday, when they face Francis Marion.
