Bristol, T.N. – Southern Wesleyan fell to King University in Conference Carolina action in a final score of 87-40.

Aneysa Williams led the team in scoring with nine points in the loss.  She was followed by Kristen Smith (7) and Breanna Richardson and Cayse Branyon with five apiece.  Southern Wesleyan posted a field goal percentage of 23.7% while King boasted one of 42.1%.  There were eight assists made by Southern Wesleyan.  Taylor Vinson led the Warriors in assists with two.   

Tatiana Manuel posted nine rebounds.  She was followed by Tatiyana Mahone with six and Richardson with five.  The Warriors made 35 rebounds as a team in the loss compared to the 56 rebounds made by King.  Manuel had four blocks against the Tornado.  She was followed by Mahone with three.

Kasey Howard led the team with two steals.  She was followed by Mahone, Richardson and Vinson with one steal apiece.  The Warriors had 18 turnovers in the contest.

Game Vitals

Final: King 87, Southern Wesleyan 40

Records: Southern Wesleyan (4-12 / CC 2-8), King (12-4 / CC 9-1)

Coach Davis Says…

"As a team, I want to see our team compete against the top teams in our league on the road.  It is a mentality we have to have.  For us to take a step forward we cannot just put a uniform on.  King was aggressive from the tip and we did not match their energy.  They forced us into early low percentage shots and we never recovered.  We must move on and prepare the best we can for North Greenville on Saturday."

How It Happened                                                                                                                           

Southern Wesleyan scored first in the debate versus the King Tornado on Monday night on a jump shot by Tatiyana Mahone.  However, the Tornado charged forward scoring two layups and a jump shot to take an 8-2 lead over the Warriors.  Tomi Sanchez made a jump shot to take the Tornado lead down to 10-4.  The Tornado increased their lead on a jump shot by Sydney Harris and then freebies by Amy Van Deventer.

The Tornado struck first in the second quarter on a layup by Arnelle Collins to bring King's lead to 21-7.  The Warriors put more points on the board on back-to-back freebies by Breanna Richardson to bring the score to 23-9, and then a jump shot by Cayse Branyon and free throws by Aneysa Williams allowed the Warriors to come to 29-13 behind the Tornado.  Erika Wesolek scored a 3-point jump shot to give the Warriors 18 points compared to the Tornado's 31.  By half-time, the Tornado were leading 40-18.

The second half started with a jump shot by Kori West to give the Tornado a 42-18 lead over the Warriors.  Shots by Kristen Smith and Tatiana Manuel gave the Warriors twenty-two points on the board.  The Tornado countered with jump shots by Witney Mitchell, Kori West and Arnelle Collins to give them a 49-22 lead.  Despite freebies by Aneysa Williams, the Tornado scored six to give them a 56-24 lead.  Kristen Smith made a 3-point jump shot followed by a layup by Breanna Richardson to drop the Tornado lead to 56-29.  By the end of the third quarter, the Warriors were down by thirty.

The Warriors struck first in the fourth quarter on a layup by Tatiyana Mahone bringing the score to 66-34.  A 3-point jump shot by Sydney Harris brought the Tornado lead to 69-35.  The Tornado kept the Warriors scoreless until Cayse Branyon made a three-point jump shot to bring the score to 81-38.  The Warriors were only allowed to score once more on a jump shot by Kristen Smith.  The Tornado took the game 87-40.

What's Next

The Warriors will return to Historic Tysinger Gymnasium on Saturday, January 21 to take on North Greenville at 2 p.m.  They will remain at home to take on Pfeiffer on January 24, Mount Olive on January 27 and Barton on January 28.