BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University men's basketball team picked up a Conference Carolinas win on Tuesday night over Converse University.
Michael Mays poured in 27 points and
Isaiah Curry grabbed 15 rebounds to lead King to the 87-76 victory.
THE BASICS
FINAL: King 87, Converse 76
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 13-14, 10-13 Conference Carolinas; Converse 6-21, 5-18 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Elijah Pitts scored the first eight points for Converse, giving the Valkyries an early 8-5 lead.
- The Tornado came back with a 13-2 run as Mays and MJ Foust connected from long range to give King an 18-10 lead.
- Converse came back and pulled within 25-22, but King extended their lead to 31-24 on a Blake Atwood triple.
- A Darron Howard triple capped a 7-0 King spurt, putting the Tornado a 44-31 lead with two minutes remaining in the half.
- Converse scored the final bucket of the half, cutting the King lead to 48-38.
- The Tornado shot 52.9 percent from the floor, including 50.0 percent from three-point range in the first half.
Second Half
- The Tornado opened the second half with a Mays triple and jump shot that extended the lead.
- Back-to-back Mays baskets gave King their largest lead of the game 62-43 six minutes into the half.
- The Valkyries tried to chip away at the deficit, but each time the Tornado had an answer to extend the lead.
- Converse scored seven straight points to pull within 78-68 with four minutes remaining.
- However, Mays and Kenny Turner responded with consecutive baskets for the Tornado.
- The King advantage was again whittled down to 10 points, but a dunk from Foust and a triple from Mays iced the 87-76 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Mays posted a game-high 27 points, shooting 7-for-12 from three-point range and 10-for-19 from the floor. He added six rebounds.
- Curry added 15 points and 15 rebounds while Turner chipped in with 10 points.
- Connor Jordan handed out a game-high six assists.
FOR THE FOES
- Earl Burgess III led four Converse scorers in double figures with 21 points. He added 10 rebounds.
- Jordan Warlick added 17 points while Elijah Pitts contributed 15 points and three assists.
- Jimmie Sanders III chipped in with 12 points and three assists.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The 15 rebounds for Curry sets a career-high, topping his previous high of 14 boards.
- Jordan matched a career-high with six assists. He has hit that mark four times.
UP NEXT
- King hosts Chowan University in the regular season finale on Thursday night. Tipoff from the Student Center Complex is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
- Converse hosts Emmanuel College on Thursday night.
