BOONE, N.C. –
Jordan Akal scored 15 points Sunday afternoon, but the King University men's basketball team fell 81-71 to UVA Wise in a nonconference contest.
THE BASICS
FINAL: UVA Wise 81, King 71
LOCATION: Holmes Convocation Center; Boone, N.C.
RECORDS: King 0-2, UVA Wise 1-1
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- The Tornado took their first lead at the 15:37 mark, where after a three from Petar Mijatovic which tied the game, Akal drove to the hoop, drew the foul and hit both free throws, putting King in front 9-7.
- A quick three gave the Cavaliers a lead, one which they would hold onto for the remainder of the half.
- King pulled to within 21-19 with 8:12 left in the half, but UVA Wise went on a 11-2 scoring run over the next three minutes, taking a 32-21 lead with 5:32 on the clock.
- King closed the half on an 8-2 run over the final three minutes, making the halftime score 40-31.
Second Half
- Seth Cullen buried a three coming out of the half, which was followed by Cullen grabbing a rebound, and Abdel-Majid Dylan Gory finishing with the dunk to trim the lead to 40-36.
- Over the next three minutes, the Cavaliers extended the lead to 50-40 before Cullen hit another three.
- The UVA Wise lead reached 62-47 with 11:26 to play, at which point King went on a 16-7 scoring run, pulling to within 69-64 with 3:32 left to play.
- A three from UVA Wise stretched the lead to eight heading into a timeout, after which Mikhail Pocknett hit a pair of free throws, making the score 72-66.
- Pocknett hit a layup in the closing minute, but the Cavaliers went 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the last minute to hang on for a
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Akal finished with a team-high 15 points, along with five rebounds and two assists. He shot 8-of-12 from the free throw line.
- Pocknett and Cullen both finished with 12 points, while Mijatovic had a season-high 10 points.
- Pocknett also led the Tornado in rebounds with nine, along with two steals and two blocks.
FOR THE FOES
- Anderson Cummins led all scorers, finishing with 21 points. He was one of four Cavaliers to finish in double digits, along with Bradley Dean (19), Evan Ramsey (15) and Patrick Shelley (12).
- Ramsey had a double-double, adding 13 rebounds.
UP NEXT
- King will host Bluefield State University Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in their home opener.
