BELMONT, N.C. -- Belmont Abbey placed four players in double figures but needed a late run to hold off upset-minded King, 91-88, in Conference Carolinas men's basketball action Tuesday night. The Crusaders trailed 84-82 with 1:22 to play, but outscored the Tornado 9-4 over the remaining time.
King's Michael Mays, who led all scorers with 37 points behind seven three-pointers, had a game-tying attempt rattle out with two seconds remaining.
With the win, The Abbey improves to 16-8 overall and 12-4 in league play, while King falls to 6-16, 5-10.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Mason Taylor tallied 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds, both team-highs. He connected on eight of 10 free throws, including six of seven in the final 1:34.
- Wade Jackson scored 20 points, while Mario Lacy, Jr., added 15. Kyle Frazier rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12.
- Belmont Abbey hit 22 of 34 free-throw attempts, both season-highs. Jaylen Jones converted all four of his tries in the contest, including a pair with 5.3 seconds to play that made the margin three.
- The Crusaders led by 12 at halftime, and by 14 with 16:10 to play, but King used a 17-0 run after that to take the lead. It equaled its biggest lead of the contest -- four points -- at 79-75 with 3:20 remaining.
- The Abbey sits all alone in third place in the league standings, two games ahead of Francis Marion for a trip directly to Spartanburg and the quarterfinal round.
UP NEXT
- Belmont Abbey hits the road on Saturday with a trip to Chowan.
- The Crusaders defeated the Hawks 84-83 in Belmont on Jan. 16.
