BRISTOL, Tenn. – Six members of the King University men's basketball team scored in double figures Wednesday, but it wasn't enough as the Tornado comeback fell short, 106-100 to Bluefield State.
Mikhail Pocknett led the Tornado, scoring 22 points on the night.
THE BASICS
FINAL: Bluefield State 106, King 100
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 0-3, Bluefield State 2-1
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- It was back-and-forth early, with King taking a 17-11 lead with 14:43 to play off a Xavier Betancourt layup.
- A Seth Cullen layup a few minutes later gave the Tornado a 24-21 lead, with the Big Blue taking a narrow lead shortly thereafter.
- A three from Bluefield State gave them a 34-29 lead, and started what would end up being an 18-11 scoring run that would span the remainder of the half, with Jordan Akal accounting for eight Tornado points, including a three that brought King to within 41-38.
Second Half
- Coming out of the locker room, Bluefield State scored the first six points, before a Seth Cullen layup made the score 55-42 with 18:40 left in the game.
- Petar Mijatovic hit a jumper at the 11:55 mark, which kickstarted a 20-7 Tornado scoring run, with Cam George scoring nine points during the stretch, with Mijatovic contributing seven as the Tornado pulled to within 79-77 with under seven minutes remaining.
- The Big Blue were able to re-extend their lead, sitting at 95-81 with 3:48 to play.
- King closed the game on a 19-11 scoring run, with Betancourt scoring eight points and Pocknett adding six. Despite the stretch where King went 8-of-9 from the field, the comeback attempt came up just short.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Pocknett finished with 22 points, the second time this season he has scored 20+ points.
- Seth Cullen pulled a team-high seven rebounds, also adding 13 points and four assists.
- Other Tornado to score in double figures were Akal (18), Betancourt (15), Abdel-Majid Dylan Gory (12) and Cam George (11).
FOR THE FOES
- Jordan Hinds scored a game-high 25 points, along with six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
- He was joined in double figures by Romeo Aquino (18), Terrell Williams (17), Jaylen Bernard (14) and Larry Howell (13).
UP NEXT
- The Tornado will continue their nonconference slate on Saturday when they make the short trip to Emory & Henry, with tipoff scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
