BRISTOL, Tenn. – The Converse College basketball team put together a good showing, but was unable to come away with a pivotal Conference Carolinas road win, falling to King University on Saturday afternoon. Converse held a six-point advantage at the break but was outscored by 22 in the second half to wind up on the losing end of a 73-57 final.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: King 73, Converse 57
Records: King (7-5, 3-2 CC), Converse (5-6, 1-6 CC)
Location: Hannah Gymnasium
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Senior Abigail Lewis (Savannah, Ga.) tallied a team-high 12 points to lead the Purple and Gold on the afternoon.
- Sophomore Nigeria Davis (Newberry, S.C.) finished the game with 10 points and six boards.
- Ellen Nardella (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) and Alexis McMillian (Bishopville, S.C.) contributed eight and seven points, respectively. McMillian also pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds.
- The Valkyries shot a season-low 31% (18-58) from the floor.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
King got on the board first behind a Kristen Cupples three, but two free throws and a layup from Davis put Converse ahead 4-3 with 7:14 remaining in the opening quarter. After the Tornado took a 6-4 lead, Converse reeled off seven in a row to push ahead 11-6.
King closed the quarter outscoring the Vals 9-4 to pull within two (17-15) after the first session.
Second Quarter
That brief run continued which allowed KU to gain its biggest lead of the contest at 26-22. However, Converse turned the tables, running off a scoring margin of 16-4 over a five minute span to control the contest 38-30 and went into the halftime break leading 38-32.
Third Quarter
King opened the second half on a 12-5 burst to regain the lead (44-43) halfway through the third quarter. Converse would muster only five more points over the remaining time in the frame and headed to the final period tied with the Tornado at 48-48.
Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter belonged entirely to King as it outscored Converse 25-9 over the final 10 minutes of game time to pull away and capture the Conference Carolinas win.
TURNING POINT
After battling for three quarters and heading into the fourth knotted at 48, King ran off 25-of-34 in the final session to take the contest.
UP NEXT
Converse will be back in action on Tuesday, January 8, heading to Mount Olive, N.C. to face the Trojans in a Conference Carolinas tilt. That contest is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. inside Kornegay Arena.