BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University men's basketball team earned their first win of the season Monday night, 88-52 over Bluefield University.
Bradley Owens led all scorers, scoring a career-high 20 points.
THE BASICS
FINAL: King 88, Bluefield 52
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 1-4; Bluefield 0-4
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- King took a 5-2 lead just under three minutes into the game, which they wouldn't give up the rest of the night, leading for nearly 39 minutes.
- After a flurry of action around the 16-minute mark made the score 10-4, Xavier Betancourt hit a layup to stretch the lead to 12-4.
- Mikhail Pocknett and Jaylen Royster then hit consecutive buckets, with Royster hitting a three to make it 17-6.
- Owens drew a foul with 12:22 to play, hitting two of the three free throws before sinking a three a short time later, making it 22-8 in favor of the Tornado.
- After the Rams pulled to within 25-14, Owens hit consecutive threes, making it a 17-point King lead.
- Bluefield was able to get to within 39-26 with 3:22 left, but King scored the final eight points of the half, taking a 41-26 lead into the locker room.
Second Half
- Owens hit a three at the 15:05 mark, after which Betancourt drew a foul, hitting all three free throws. A short time later, Pocknett got a steal and hit the ensuing layup, making it a 27-point lead.
- That lead continued to grow, as Betancourt and Pocknett hit consecutive layups to make the score 68-37 with 12:33 remaining.
- After Petar Mijatovic hit a jumper with 7:31 to play, Travis Easterly made a layup, followed by a three by Betancourt to make it 88-46 in favor of King.
- Bluefield did score the final six points, including a layup with 20 seconds left, but the Tornado won the game.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- It was a career high for Owens, who led all scorers with 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
- Pocknett finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, along with three assists.
- Betancourt had 15 points, on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.
- The King defense held the Rams scoreless from beyond the arc, with Bluefield finishing 0-of-17.
FOR THE FOES
- Justin Wiggins was the lone Ram to score in double figures, finishing with 12 points on the night.
- Justin Johnson had six rebounds, while scoring four points and grabbing four steals.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado will continue their nonconference slate Wednesday when they take on Alice Lloyd inside the Student Center.
