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Earl Burgess III
81
Winner King (TN) King 6-9,4-3 Conference Carolinas
77
Converse Conv 5-8,4-3 Conference Carolinas
Winner
King (TN) King
6-9,4-3 Conference Carolinas
81
Final
77
Converse Conv
5-8,4-3 Conference Carolinas
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
King (TN) King 33 48 81
Converse Conv 40 37 77

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Burgess and Reams Lead Valkyries In Scoring Against Tornado

SPARTANBURG S.C. – The Converse University men's basketball team fell 81-77 to King on Tuesday evening inside the Weisiger Center.
 
With the loss the Valkyries snap a two game winning streak and fall to 5-8 overall and 4-3 in Conference Carolinas play. King Improves to 6-9 overall and 4-3 in Conference Carolinas action, and they also move into first place in the Northwest Division standings.
 
Earl Burgess III led the team with 15-points off the bench against the Tornado. Caleb Reams finished second on the team with 12-points, while Sigurd Lorange and Jay Mitchell both contributed nine points in the loss. Kyle Monk led the team with an eight rebound performance, while Joel Pullen and Burgess III each collected seven rebounds on the evening. Pullen led the team with a five assist performance, while Mitchell led the team with a trio of steals against King.
 
First Half Notes:
  • The Valkyries started the game on a 4-0 run with back-to-back layups by Leo Da Campo and Jay Mitchell.
  • King countered the Valkyries opening run with a 5-0 offensive spurt to take their first lead of the match with 17:19 to play in the opening half.
  • The Tornado continued to put the pressure on the Valkyries early and went up 12-6 with 14:02 to play in the period.
  • Coming out of a timeout break, Lorange drilled a three-pointer to cut Tornado lead to three points with 13:46 to play.
  • The Valkyries offense came alive over the next few minutes of game time, as they cut the lead to two points on two separate occasions. With 8:00 minutes to go in the half, Da Campo made a layup to cut the Tornado lead to 23-22.
  • A few minutes later Reams scored the old fashioned three-point play as he made a layup and the ensuing free throw. Reams' basket made it a 28-27 game in favor of the Tornado.
  • On the Valkyries next possession down the court, Lorange made a layup and Converse once again held the lead at 29-28.
  • The layup ignited a Valkyrie run over the next minute of game time, Converse went into the under four media timeout up 34-28 over King.
  • For the remainder of the half the Valkyries built upon their lead and went into the halftime break up 40-33. Converse shot 42 percent from the field, 35 percent from three-point range, and 71 percent from the free throw line.   
 
Second Half Notes:
  • Coming out of the halftime break, Jay Mitchell stole the ball from King and started a fastbreak attempt for the Valkyries offense. Monk passed the ball to Reams who drilled the three-pointer to star the second half for either team.
  • King countered the early turnover with a 7-0 run to cut into the Valkyries advantage. Converse still held a slim 43-40 advantage with 18:04 to play in the half.
  • Da Campo and Mitchell ended the run with back-to-back baskets to build the Valkyries lead back up to seven points.
  • The two teams went back-and-forth over the next few possessions, with 13:28 to play in the game, Burgess made a layup and gave the Valkyries a 58-48 advantage.
  • A few possessions later, the Valkyries held their largest lead of the game at 61-49 over the Tornado.
  • King then used a 14-2 run to storm back and tie the game against the Valkyries at 63 with 7:38 to play in game.
  • Converse held a 69-65 advantage with 5:50 to play in the contest, coming out of the media timeout King broke the huddle with six players on the court. The player inbounding the ball found one of his five options for a dunk to make it 69-67.
  • Following a brief huddle from the officials no punishment was given to King for having six players on the court. On the next possession by the Tornado to game was knotted at 69 with 4:32 to play in the half.
  • Despite the Valkyries best efforts they were unable to overcome the momentum shift the Tornado had acquired. King outscored the Valkyries 12-8 down the stretch as they converted on most of their free throw opportunities.
  • King outscored Converse 48-37 in the second half of action, the Valkyries shot 37 percent from the field, 12 percent from three point range and 100 percent from the free throw line.
 
Stat Leaders:
Points – Burgess III (15), Reams (12), Lorange (9), Mitchell (9)
Rebounds – Monk (8), Burgess III (7), Pullen (7)
Assists – Pullen (5), Mitchell (4), Lorange (3), Monk (3)

Next Up:
The men's basketball team will hit the road this weekend with a trip to the Peach State to face Emmanuel. Tip-off is slated for a 4:00 p.m. tip.
 
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