SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Converse College basketball team was dealt a 72-49 loss at the hands of King University on Wednesday evening inside the Weisiger Center.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: King 72, Converse 49
Records: King (7-7, 4-4 CC) Converse (2-15, 1-7 CC)
Location: Hannah Gymnasium, Converse College, Spartanburg, S.C.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Alexis McMillian led all scorers with 16 points.
- Ashley Sides finished with nine points on a trio of three-pointers, while Lindsey Hardin chipped in eight points.
- Bhrianna Jackson and Sierra Davenport led the Vals with seven and six rebounds, respectively.
- Converse had a cold shooting night, knocking down only 17 of its 64 shots for 26.6%.
- King held a 48-40 advantage on the boards.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
McMillian connected on a layup at the 7:19 mark to give Converse a slim 5-4 advantage, but King ripped off six in a row, controlling the game at 10-5 early. Sides knocked down a triple to pull the Vals to within 10-8, but King finished the quarter outscoring Converse 9-4 to take a 19-12 lead into the second.
Second Quarter
The Tornado scored nine of the first 13 points in the second quarter, ballooning their lead to double-digits (28-16) with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half. A pair of free throws by Symantha Fugate followed by a three from Kiki Samsel allowed King to grab its biggest lead of the game (39-18).
The Valkyries tallied the final four points of the half, heading to the locker room trailing 39-22.
Third Quarter
A 10-2 run by the visitors saw the Valkyries deficit reach 49-24 midway through the quarter. Sides drilled another three to stop the scoring run, but King outscored Converse 6-1 down the final stretch of the third, taking a 55-28 lead into the final period.
Fourth Quarter
Hardin started to knock down shots in the fourth, tallying five points during a run of 9-2, allowing the Valkyries to pull to within 57-37. However, King answered that with an 8-2 run of its own, running the lead back to 65-39 with five minutes remaining in regulation.
Converse was able to finish strong, earning 10 of the final 17 points, but it was not enough as King took home the 72-49 win.
UP NEXT
Converse will return to the court on Saturday, January 11 as it plays host to Erskine in a Conference Carolinas showdown. That contest is scheduled for 2 p.m.