SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The King University men's basketball team trailed 61-49 in the second half Tuesday at Converse before rallying for an 81-77 victory over their Northwest division rival.
Mikhail Pocknett had 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Tornado.
THE BASICS
FINAL: King 81, Converse 77
LOCATION: Weisiger Center; Spartanburg, S.C.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Converse scored the first four points of the game before a 12-2 King scoring run saw them take a 12-6 lead with 14:02 remaining.
- King continued to grow their lead, eventually taking a 16-9 lead with 11:47 left in the half.
- Pocknett hit a driving layup to put King in front 28-22 with 7:10 left, after which the Valkyries scored the next 13 points, taking a 35-28 lead with just over three minutes to play.
- King used buckets from Seth Cullen and Jordan Akal to pull to within 35-33 with two minutes left, but Converse scored the final five points, taking a 40-33 lead into the halftime break.
Second Half
- After exchanging threes right out of the locker room, Cullen hit a layup, followed a short time later by Xavier Betancourt hitting a driving layup, bringing the Tornado to within 43-40.
- Converse was able to stretch their lead to 61-49 with 11:47 left in the half, before Travis Easterly Jr. hit a driving layup, starting what would end up being a 19-8 scoring run over the next seven minutes, taking a 70-69 lead on an old-fashioned three-point play by Pocknett.
- After a quick Converse bucket, Pocknett and Betancourt hit a pair of quick buckets, forcing the Valkyries to call timeout trailing 74-71.
- The Valkyries got to within one with 2:17 left, but Pocknett hit back-to-back buckets, also adding a steal on the other end, stretching King's lead to 78-73, forcing Converse to take their final timeout.
- King went 3-for-5 from the free throw line in the final 90 seconds, hanging on for an 81-77 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Pocknett led all players with 28 points and 11 rebounds, along with a team-high four assists.
- Betancourt finished with 16 points, while Jaylen Roster added 11 and Cullen scored 10.
FOR THE FOES
- Earl Burgess III had 15 points to lead Converse, with Caleb Reams adding 12.
- Burgess III was one of three Valkyries who had eight rebounds, along with Joel Pullen and Kyle Monk.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado will host Chowan Saturday afternoon before facing Shorter on Monday.
