Women's Basketball Falls to King in Season Opener
King defeats Mars Hill 72-50 in the opening game of the 2015-16 season
GREENEVILLE, TENN. - The King University Tornado scored 26 points in the final period to pull away from Mars Hill 72-50 in the 2015-16 season opener for the Lions. The contest was part of the SAC/Conference Carolinas Challenge held in Pioneer Arena.
Genice Lane led Mars Hill with 14 points, followed by Cadence Wilmoth with 13. Lane led MHU with six rebounds, with Kelsey Espinosa pulling down five rebounds and Raven Brown with four.
Jalan Harper led King with 17 points, with Arnelle Collins adding 11 points and Whitney Mitchell with 10 points. Harper and Amy Van Deventer each had nine rebounds.
Mars Hill dashed out to a 4-0 lead in the first quarter before the Tornado tied the contest at 10 following an Ashley Albertson layup. King would hold a 14-13 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
A Wilmoth jumper at the 7:22 mark of the second quarter gave MHU a 15-14 lead, with King claiming the lead on a pair of free throws. Mars Hill used a Lane layup and a pair of Wilmoth jumpers to take a 21-17 lead with 2:21 to play in the second frame, only to see King pull within one, 25-24, on an Albertson layup with 16 seconds remaining. Paige Chavis made two free throws with seven seconds left in the half to send Mars Hill into the break with a 27-24 lead.
King took the lead for good thanks to a Collins layup at the 8:03 mark of the third quarter for a 28-27 lead. The Tornado would stretch their lead to 35-31 before a pair of Espinosa free throws brought MHU back to within a pair, 35-33. Following a Sydney Comer three-pointer to bring Mars Hill to within two, 38-36, King closed out the quarter on an 8-4 run to lead 46-40 after three quarters.
The Tornado shot 54.5 percent from the field compared to Mars Hill's 18.2 percent in the final period to take control of the contest. Brittany Dixon's three-pointer at the 9:27 mark brought Mars Hill to within three, 46-43, before the Tornado went on a 13-3 run to take a 59-46 lead with 4:34 to play. King would close out the game on an 13-4 run.
Mars Hill wraps up the SAC/Conference Carolinas Challenge tomorrow, facing Lees-McRae at 2 p.m.
