Photo Courtesy of Matt Jones
BRISTOL, Tenn. – The Lees-McRae College men's basketball team saw a late lead slip away Wednesday night as King University upended the Bobcats by a score of 78-70. The loss pushes Lees-McRae's overall record to 10-15 and 6-9 in Conference Carolinas action.
The first half was very competitive between the Tornado and Bobcats as neither team led by more than seven points in the frame. Even with the closeness on the scoreboard, the two teams used different means to put offense on the board. King used long distance shooting as it connected on five shots from beyond the arc. Lees-McRae, meanwhile, went down low scoring 20 points in the paint in the first half. In this case, points in the paint won out as the Bobcats took a 36-35 advantage heading into the halftime break.
When the two teams came back for the second half, it looked like the Bobcats may run away with the game as they built a 10-point lead midway through the period. Credit to the Tornado as they battled back to tie the score at 68 with 2:32 to go in regulation. Once King tied the score, it rode that momentum on its way to outscoring the Bobcats 10-2 over the final two and a half minutes to finish off the 78-70 comeback victory.
The Bobcats were led Wednesday by the duo of Anthony Hicks and Malik Wright. Both players finished with 15 points on night to along with efficient shooting efforts. Hicks 6-for-7 from the field, while Wright 5-for-8 for the game and 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Freshman Andrew Gardner nearly picked up a double-double but finished a rebound short finishing the game with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Lees-McRae will be back in action this Saturday when it welcomes Barton College to Banner Elk for another conference matchup. Tip-off between the Bobcats and Bulldogs is set for 4 p.m.
For more information of Lees-McRae Athletics, follow us on our social media sites on Twitter (@LMCBobcats), Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics) and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
