BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University women's basketball team held a 14-point lead in the second half of Thursday's game, but were unable to topple visiting UNC Pembroke, falling 73-71.
Tori Smiley scored a career-high 24 points for the Tornado.
THE BASICS
FINAL: UNC Pembroke 73, King 71
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 2-9, 2-2 Conference Carolinas; UNC Pembroke 4-6, 3-1 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Period
- UNC Pembroke took an early 8-2 lead before Le'Aije Ellington drilled a three to bring it to 8-5.
- The Braves would eventually take a 17-9 lead before Jordan Weir knocked down a pair of free throws.
- Jaelyn West hit a jumper with 53 seconds to play, but UNCP hit two free throws in the final seconds to take a 19-13 lead.
Second Period
- It didn't take much time for the Tornado to score coming out of the break, as on their first possession Smiley drilled a three, making it a 19-16 game.
- UNCP would score four consecutive points before a massive 15-3 King run that spanned the remainder of the quarter.
- West had five points during the run, while Alexa Gramann and Ellington both scored three times, giving King a 31-23 lead heading into halftime.
Third Period
- The Tornado scored the first four points of the half, with Jaden Potts hitting a bucket to give King a 35-26 lead.
- After UNCP cut the lead to 39-37, Rikkelle Miller hit a three, extending the lead to 42-37.
- King would stretch the lead to 53-40 with 1:11 to play after Weir hit a pair of free throws.
- UNC Pembroke would go on to hit a pair of free throws with 34 seconds left to cut the lead to 54-42.
Fourth Period
- The Braves started the quarter on a 7-4 run, getting to within 59-49.
- Gramann hit a layup to give the Tornado a 63-52 lead with 5:43 left.
- UNCP ended the game on a 21-8 run, with the game-winning basket being scored with just three seconds to play, allowing the Braves to escape with a narrow win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Smiley led the Tornado, scoring 24 points while shooting 8-of-10 from the free throw line and dishing out four assists.
- West scored 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Ellington finished with 10 points.
FOR THE FOES
- Courtney Smith led all scorers, finishing with 26 points and seven rebounds.
- Malea Garrison scored 15 points, and pulled eight rebounds to lead the Braves in that category.
UP NEXT
- King is back inside the Student Center on Saturday afternoon, hosting the University of Mount Olive. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
- UNC Pembroke will play as well on Saturday, facing Lees-McRae.
