BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University men's basketball team closed the regular season with a win over Chowan University as a bit of history was made in the process.
Michael Mays poured in a career 33 points and head coach
Jason Gillespie earned his 300th career win.
THE BASICS
FINAL: King 93, Chowan 88
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 14-14, 11-13 Conference Carolinas; Chowan 8-17, 8-15 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Mays got off to a hot start, knocking down a triple and adding a pair of buckets to lead King to a 13-8 lead in the opening five minutes.
- In the first half, Mays shot 5-for-7 from three-point range and 7-for-10 from the floor leading to a game-high 19 points.
- He later connected on three straight trifectas, giving King a 26-20 lead midway through the period.
- Following a Chowan triple, King went on a 10-0 run highlighted by a Kenny Turner dunk and Darron Howard three-point play.
- Mays gave King their largest lead of the game at 44-26 with another triple.
- However, Chowan closed the half on a 13-6 run, cutting the King lead to 50-39 at the half after Brandon Lamberth collected a rebound and made a jump shot in the waning seconds.
- The Tornado shot 57.1 percent from the floor and 77.8 percent from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes.
Second Half
- Chowan scored five of the first seven points of the half, cutting their deficit to single digits.
- King responded and extended their lead back to 66-53 following an Isaiah Curry layup off of a Mays steal seven minutes into the half.
- The Tornado tried to pull away, but each time they extended the lead, Chowan responded with a basket.
- Chowan pulled within 81-77 with three minutes remaining, but a pair of Jaylen Bernard free throws and a Curry layup stretched the King lead to 85-77.
- The Hawks then scored five straight points to pull within 87-84, but Mays and Desmond Davis iced the 93-88 win at the free throw line.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Mays led King with 33 points, going 5-for-9 from three-point range and 10-for-16 from the floor. He also went 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
- Curry added 10 points and 13 rebounds for his second straight double-double.
- Davis and Lamberth chipped in with eight points apiece while Howard added nine points.
FOR THE FOES
- Jay Estime led five Chowan scorers in double figures with 23 points.
- Chase Barnett added 19 points and Cheick Traore snared 13 rebounds.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The 33 points for Mays set a career-high, topping his previous best of 29 points.
- King shot 54.8 percent from the floor, their third best shooting night of the season.
- The win is also the 300th for Gillespie.
UP NEXT
- King is the eighth seed in the Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Championship and will travel to fifth-seeded University of Mount.
- The Tornado will face eighth-seeded Francis Marion University on Sunday night at 5:00 p.m. at Mount Olive
- Should the Tornado win, they will face the host Trojans on Monday at 7:00 p.m.
- Chowan is the 10th seed and will take on seventh seed Lees-McRae College on Sunday at Barton.
