SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Converse University men's basketball team scored 50-second half points and shot 60-percent from the field to complete a 77-73 comeback win over King University on Saturday afternoon in the Weisiger Center.
 
"The crowd carried us down the stretch tonight…our guys got behind them and they give us that extra boost," Converse head men's basketball coach Ryan Saunders said. "It was a tale of two halves for us tonight as we trailed by as many as 19 in the first half. We challenged them at halftime to play harder and in the second half they were tremendous. I'm happy for these guys and I am proud of the way they responded in the second half."
 
Converse (2-1, 1-0 Conference Carolinas) starting center Earl Burgess III (Spartanburg, S.C.) was a big factor for the Valkyries on Saturday afternoon. Burgess became the first player in program history with a double-double after a 12-point, 10-rebound performance. The freshman also led the team in blocks for the second time this season with five swats on the night. Burgess is now averaging 4.0 blocks per game and 5.7 rebounds per contest.
 
"It feels great," Burgess said following his double-double performance. "One reason I came here was to make history and we are doing that right now. I'm learning my role in the defense and one of our rules is no uncontested layups."
 
The Valkyries won the opening tip-off and started the match on a 6-2 run. A timely three-pointer by King (2-1, 0-1 Conference Carolinas) gave the Converse a slim 6-5 margin heading into the first media timeout of the night. With 13:19 to play in the opening half, Michael Mays hit a three-pointer for King and the Tornado took a 13-10 lead over the Valkyries. The three-pointer sparked a King run and the Tornado led 20-12 with just 10:36 to play in the half.
 
The Tornado continued to control the game in the first half of action, Blake Atwood knocked down a three-pointer with 3:10 to play and King held their largest lead of the game at 38-19. However, the Valkyries did not give up as they closed the scoring gap down the stretch and trailed 40-27 going into the halftime break.
 
Coming out of the halftime break, Wes Morgan (Charlotte, N.C.) hit a transition three-pointer and the Valkyries were back within 10-points of the Tornado. The Valkyries continued to hang around and with 15:29 to go in the game Eli Pitts (Gainesville, Ga.) made a fast break basket to bring the Valkyries within single digits.
 
At the 7:38 mark of the second half, Brandon Lamberth gave the Tornado a 65-52 advantage as King looked to put the game out of reach. Jimmie Sanders III (Dallas, Texas) hit a three-pointer to keep the Valkyries in it and on the next possession Nate Gordon (Alpharetta, Ga.) made a layup to pull the Valkyries back within single digits. Jordan Warlick (Irmo, S.C.) went on a personal 4-0 run with 5:31 to play to pull Converse within four-points of the Tornado.
 
A few moments later Sanders hit a pair of free-throws with 2:57 left to play in the game. The made free throws gave the Valkyries momentum as they trailed by just two-points in the match. On the next possession, Sigurd Lorange (Trondheim, Norway) stole the pass from Mays and passed the ball ahead to a wide-open Pitts. Pitts slammed the ball through the net and the Valkyries tied the game at 71 as the crowd went into a frenzy.
 
With the game tied at 73, Burgess III came through with his biggest blocks of the night to keep the match tied. Moments later Sanders III stole the ball away from Lamberth giving the Valkyries I chance to win the game with 32 seconds to go.
 
Sanders III waited till the shot clocked was under 10-seconds before he made his move to the basket. The junior guard drove down the right side of the lane and made the contested layup to give the Valkyries the lead. At the other end of the court Lamberth missed a jump shot with four seconds to go and Pitts picked up the rebound to seal the game for the Valkyries.
 
Warlick led the team with 19-points in the game, Sanders III finished with 16-points and Burgess III contributed 12-points in the victory. Burgess III led the team with 10-rebounds and five blocks, while Lorange led the team with seven assists and a pair of steals in the match.
 
Next Up:
The Valkyries will have a short week as they host Erskine on Tuesday evening. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in the Weisiger Center.
 
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