BRISTOL, Tenn. – The Converse College basketball team dropped a 74-49 decision at King University on Wednesday evening.

GAME INFORMATION

Score: Converse 49, King (Tenn.) 74

Records: Converse (2-19, 1-11 CC), King (Tenn.) (10-8, 7-5 CC)

Location: Bristol Tenn., Student Center Complex, King University 

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• Dominique Hill led the Valkyries with team highs in points (14), rebounds (6), and assists (3).
• Ellen Nardella knocked down four shots from distance, finishing with 12 points, while Anna King added eight points off the bench.
• Converse shot 16-of-54 from the floor (29.6%) and 9-of-19 (47.4%) from the charity stripe.
• King outrebounded the Valkyries by a total of 52-33, including a 14-6 margin on the offensive glass.
• Converse led in fast break points (12-4) and bench points (22-16).

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Quarter

King raced out to a quick 5-2 lead but the Valkyries used a run of 9-2 to take an 11-7 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the opening quarter of play. However, King ended the period with a run of 8-1, taking the 15-12 advantage into the second. 

Second Quarter

Hill opened the second with an old-fashioned three-point play, drawing the score even (15-15), but King took complete control of the contest with a massive burst of 20-3 over the next six-plus minutes of game time, ballooning the lead to 35-18. 

Nardella drilled a three followed by a pair of free throws from Tori Henderson, trimming the Vals deficit to 35-23. King's Kori West was able to knock down two freebies of her own, sending the game into the locker room with the Tornado leading 37-23.

Third Quarter

A 10-3 run by King to open the second half enlarged the lead to its biggest of the game (47-26) just minutes into the second half. Converse continued to hang around as Nardella and Hill connected on back-to-back threes to cap off six in a row by the Valkyries. 

Another knockdown by Nardella following the media timeout allowed Converse to pull within 47-35, but the Tornado extended the lead to 20 (58-38) after finishing the period on an 11-3 spurt.  

Fourth Quarter

The fourth period was a back-and-forth affair but that did not favor the Valkyries, who were playing from behind. King was able to grab its biggest lead of the night of 25 points on three separate occasions in the last stanza, including the final score of 74-49.

UP NEXT

The Valkyries will return to the friendly confines of the Weisiger Center on Saturday, January 25, playing host to Lees-McRae. That contest is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. inside Hannah Gymnasium.