BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University women's basketball team defeated Converse in their regular season finale by a score of 70-59 as three Tornado players scored double-digits. Following the game, the team honored the six members of their senior class.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 70 – Converse 59
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 12-15, 10-10 Conference Carolinas | Converse 9-18, 7-13 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Ashley Allen scored the night's first basket with a jump shot outside of the paint. Converse responded with 10 unanswered to take the lead. Allen and Williams brought the team within a possession.
- Allen tied the game with two minutes to go with another jump shot before Williams gave King the lead with her own shot outside of the paint, ending the first quarter with King leading 18-16.
- Williams scored 8 points and pulled down 8 rebounds in the opening period. Allen added 8 points and two rebounds.
- Both teams traded baskets in the second quarter. Converse ended the first half with a buzzer beater layup to send the teams to the locker room with the score tied at 32.
- Five Tornado players scored in the second quarter, including Le'Aije Ellington who scored five. By halftime, Williams had already recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
- The majority of the third quarter was a one-possession game, with King getting the only two-possession lead on a three-point shot from Raven Addison before Converse cut into it with a layup.
- The Tornado took a one-point 48-47 lead into the final quarter as Williams added seven more points to her total and three rebounds.
- Ellington and Williams combined for six straight points to open the fourth quarter. Williams tip-in layup with 5:22 remaining gave King their first double-digit lead.
- King outscored the Valkyries 22-12 in the final frame and pushed their lead to as much as 13 with under three minutes to go.
- The final points for King came from Sarah Thompson's fast break layup before Converse followed with a fastbreak jump shot with over a minute left on the clock, resulting in the final score of 70-59.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Mariya Williams led the Tornado with a new season-high 26 points and 17 rebounds. Both are her highest marks at an NCAA school. She also dished out a team-high 3 assists.
- Ashley Allen and Le'Aije Ellington hit double-digit points with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Ellington grabbed 3 steals and had three assists. Allen pulled down nine rebounds.
- Sarah Thompson scored nine points and had three assists.
- King outscored Converse 34-26 from inside the paint, 7-4 on fast breaks, and 21-17 from bench players.
UP NEXT
The King University women's basketball team has earned the No. 8 seed in the Conference Carolinas Tournament. They will travel to host site Young Harris to face No. 11 Lees-McRae on Sunday. The winner will face Young Harris on Monday evening.
