BANNER ELK, N.C. – The King University men's basketball defeated Lees-McRae on Wednesday night in a high scoring game.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 96 – Lees-McRae 87
LOCATION: Williams Gymnasium; Banner Elk, N.C.
RECORD: King 12-10 (9-4) | Lees-McRae 8-13 (6-8)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Neither team got more than a double-digit lead throughout the game nor did either team have a double-digit scoring run.
- Lees-McRae led for the first six minutes of the game. Jordan Akal gave King their first lead with a three-point shot.
- King scored 9 unanswered over the course of two minutes with Akal hitting 4 points, Seth Cullens with a three-pointer, and Mikhail Pocknett sinking a pair of free throws.
- Akal gave King their largest lead of the night with a pair of free throws with 7:16 left in the first half at 30-21.
- Pocknett sank a pair of free throws for the final points of the half, giving the Tornado a one-point lead at the break. Akal tallied 16 points in the first half.
- Lees-McRae scored first in the second half. Xavier Betancourt hit back-to-back shots, both off Bobcat turnovers, to give King the lead back. King would not trail for the remainder of the game.
- The Tornado would end the gave with a pair of free throws from Pocknett to seal the nine-point victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Four Tornado players scored in double-digits: Jordan Akal led with 33 points, sinking 18-19 shots from the free throw line. Those 18 made free throws are the most in a single game in the NCAA era at King and second in all of school history (21). He broke his own previous record of 13 set earlier this year.
- Mikhail Pocknett had a double-double with 29 points and 18 rebounds. He also sank 13-16 free throws. Xavier Betancourt scored 14 points in the second half to give him 19 on the evening. Seth Cullen had a double-double as well with his 10 points and 14 rebounds.
- Betancourt and Pocknett each had 3 steals while Pocknett added a team-high 3 assists.
- King matched Lees-McRae with 28 points from turnovers and 40 points in the paint. The Tornado led for over 31 minutes of the game.
UP NEXT
The King University men's basketball team will return home to Bristol with a three-game win-streak as they host Southern Wesleyan on Saturday Feb. 8 at 4 p.m.
