MURFREESBORO, N.C. — The Chowan University men's basketball team earned victory Monday night, rallying past King University for a 100–91 win. The Hawks erased a 15-point deficit to defeat the Tornado by nine. Freshman Markell Hollis led the charge with a new career-high performance, while three other Hawks scored in double figures to secure the victory. With the win, Chowan improves to 8–3 in conference play.

THE BASICS

FINAL | Chowan 100,  King 91
RECORDS | Chowan (10-9, 8-3) , King (5-10, 3-4)
LOCATION | Murfreesboro, N.C. (Hawks Athletic Center)

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

The Hawks jumped out early, scoring the game's first basket and building a five-point advantage within the opening five minutes. King responded with a run of their own, taking the lead just over 10 minutes into the first half. The teams traded baskets over the next several minutes before the Tornado surged late, carrying a 15-point lead into the break.
Chowan opened the second half with four quick points, highlighted by a powerful and-one dunk from Damien Robinson at the 19-minute mark that ignited the Hawks' comeback. Markell Hollis soon found his rhythm, knocking down a jumper before throwing down an and-one dunk of his own and converting the free throw. The Hawks reclaimed the lead with nine minutes remaining and never looked back. With 46 seconds left, William Hynes drilled a clutch three-pointer to give Chowan a five-point cushion. The Hawks sealed the win at the free-throw line, going a perfect 8-for-8 in the final moments to secure the 100–91 victory.
Hollis led all scorers with 26 points on an efficient 10-15 shooting performance, adding six rebounds, four assists, and two steals while going 6-7 from the free-throw line. Joseph Lezeau II contributed 16 points, converting 10 of 12 free throws, while pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out two assists. Eric Gordon Jr. and William Hynes each added 14 points. Gordon Jr. shot 4-6 from the field, including 2-3 from beyond the arc, and was perfect at the line. Hynes connected on 5-8 shots, went 2-3 from three-point range, and recorded a season-high 10 rebounds to go along with two assists and two blocks.
As a team, the Hawks shot 32-of-63 from the field (50.8%), 6-of-17 from three-point range (35.3%), and 30-of-37 from the free-throw line (81.1%). Chowan dominated the stat sheet with 50 total rebounds, 40 points in the paint, 25 fast-break points, and an impressive 52 points off the bench.

UP NEXT

The Hawks host Ferrum College on Saturday, January 24 in the Hawks Athletic Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 PM.