BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Belmont Abbey led by as many as 21 points early in the second half after limiting King to just 17.1 percent shooting (6 of 35) over the first 20 minutes, then held off a late rally for a 78-75 victory over King in Conference Carolinas men's basketball action Wednesday night.

Mason Taylor led four players in double figures with 20 points.

The Abbey improves to 4-9 overall and 3-1 in league play. The Crusaders are also 2-0 in Northwest Division action. King falls to 2-9, 0-4, 0-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Taylor topped 20 points for the fifth time this season, all in the last six games. He also tallied six rebounds.
• DJ Holloway and Wade Jackson each tallied 13 points, while Jaylon Simpson added 10.
• Darius Kane grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
• Each team committed 22 turnovers. The Tornado held a 44-35 advantage.
• Belmont Abbey hit 24 of 30 free throws in the contest, with five players making all of their attempts -- Taylor (6 of 6), DJ Holloway (6 of 6), Jacori Owens (4 of 4), Jaylen Jones (2 of 2) and Jaylon Simpson (1 of 1).
• The Crusaders held King to just 33.8 percent (24 of 71) overall. The mark was the lowest by an opponent this season.
• The score was 40-19 at the half and 45-24 after a Kyle Frazier three-pointer with 17:57 to play.
• The Abbey lead was 18, 67-49 with five minutes remaining when the Tornado started a 26-10 run that closed the gap to two, 77-75 with nine second left.
• Taylor made two free throws with 14 seconds left to help preserve the victory.

UP NEXT

• Belmont Abbey returns to the Wheeler Center on Saturday for the first time in five games, spanning 24 days.
• The Crusaders meet Southeast Division leader Emmanuel at approximately 4 p.m.