BANNER ELK, N.C. –
Brandon Brown and
Ja'Quavian Florence combined for 40 points, but Lees-McRae men's basketball fell short to King, 96-87, in the "Battle for the Blue Ridge Cup" matchup on Wednesday evening.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King –
96; Lees-McRae – 87
LOCATION: McNair & Debi Tornow Court – Banner Elk, North Carolina
RECORDS: King (12-10/10-4), Lees-McRae (8-13/6-8)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Florence connected on a three-pointer to start the game for Lees-McRae. The Bobcats held a six-point lead after a layup from Florence at the 16:16 mark of the first half.
- King gained the lead at 18-16 off a three-pointer from Seth Cullen and built an eight-point advantage with 9:19 to play in the first half.
- The Bobcats cut into the deficit and regained the lead at 38-37 off a fastbreak dunk from Brandon Brown. King carried the lead into the halftime break after free-throw marks from Mikhail Pocknett.
- King built a six-point lead with 13:04 left in regulation, but the Bobcats continued to battle throughout the contest.
- The Bobcats cut the lead to three with 6:50 remaining in the second half, but King used 53 free throw attempts to defeat the Bobcats, 96-87.
- Florence had a team-high 24 points on 4-9 from three-point range. Brown followed with 16 points, three assists, and three rebounds.
- Isajah Deburgo collected nine points in 11 minutes off the bench. Dre Nelson and Oli Smith recorded eight points apiece in the game.
FOR THE TORNADO:
- Jordan Akal had a game-high 33 points on 6-14 shooting and 18-19 from the charity stripe. Pocknett followed with 29 points and 18 boards.
- Xavier Betancourt and Seth Cullen joined Akal and Pocknett in double figures with 19 and 10 points, respectively.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae men's basketball travels to Florence, South Carolina to play Francis Marion on Saturday at 4 p.m.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
