KING'S MEN'S BASKETBALL CRUISES PAST PENN STATE HAZLETON, 83-55
WILKES-BARRE – Senior forward Kevin Conroy (Chatham, NJ, Chatam) led five players in double figures with 19 points and five rebounds, as the Monarchs hit on all cylinders offensively shooting 53.0 percent from the field in an 83-55 win against Penn State Hazleton Tuesday night in Scandlon Gymnasium.
King's improves to 3-4 overall on the season breaking a four-game losing skid in the process. PSU-Hazleton drops to 0-7 overall.
PSU Hazleton opened the game with the hot hand, leading 13-7 at the 13:05 mark of the half. King's used a 10-2 run capped off by a Conroy layup to take their first lead of the game 16-13 with 10:37 left in the opening frame. The Monarchs quickly built their lead to 23-15 as Conroy scored again inside and sophomore guard Dan Maguschak (Beaver Meadows, PA, Hazleton Area) connected on an old-fashioned three-point play. Subsequent jumpers from sophomore forward Mike McCready (Bethlehem, PA, Freedom) and rookie guard Kyle Hammonds (Rosemont, PA, Radnor) extended the lead to 29-18 with just under three minutes left in the stanza. King's closed the half on a 6-0 run capped off when junior guard Nick Reisig (Richboro, PA, CR North) stole the ball in the Nittany Lions offensive end and went the length of the floor for an uncontested layup just as time expired.
King's didn't let off the gas in the second frame as the lead swelled to 22 points at 45-23 with 16:45 on the clock. Another quick run, this time 12-2, put King's up for good. Hammonds scored five points during the stretch, and Conroy flexed his muscle down low with three easy scores in the paint. King's took their biggest advantage of the contest, 73-39, late in the second half, as freshman guard Joe Caffrey (Hudson, PA, Coughlin), sophomore forward Ian Oakley (Easton, PA, Easton), and junior guard Eric Brown (Waldorf, MD, Maurice J. McDonough) scored in a flawless King's transition game.
Conroy finished 7-for-10 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Rookie Chris Hobson tallied a season-high 11 points and four rebounds, while Maguschak posted his best effort in limited time with 11 points and three rebounds. Hammonds and Reisig rounded out the Monarchs in double figures with 10 points each. Caffrey enjoyed a fine floor game with two points, six rebounds, and three assists in 19 minutes of action. The 83 points marks a season-high for the Monarchs, who connected on 35-of-66 shots in the victory.
Brandon Boekel led the Nittany Lions with 11 points and three assists. Mike Taylor added 10 points including two three-pointers. The Monarch defense bothered PSU-Hazleton all night, limiting them to just 38.9 percent (21-54) shooting from the field. King's also held a huge advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Nittany Lions 47-24.
King's returns to action Friday when the Monarchs host Potsdam State University in the opening round of the PNC/Ramada Inn Classic at 8:00 p.m. in Scandlon Gymnasium. Salisbury University will meet Brooklyn College in the other first round contest at 6:00 p.m.
KING'S COLLEGE 83, PENN STATE HAZLETON 55
PENN STATE HAZLETON (0-7)
Brandon Boekel 4-10 2-3 11; Mike Taylor 4-5 0-0 10; Casey Petty 3-8 0-0 9; Leron Kosh 3-6 1-2 8; Mike Abramcheck 3-8 0-0 7; Donny Fletcher 1-4 1-2 3; Leonard Graham 1-4 1-4 3; Ian Simmons 1-3 0-1 2; Eric Radishofski 1-5 0-0 2; Diego Jimenez 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-54 5-12 55.
KING'S COLLEGE (3-4)
Kevin Conroy 7-10 5-6 19; Dan Maguschak 3-5 4-6 11; Chris Hobson 5-7 1-4 11; Kyle Hammonds 4-9 1-3 10; Nick Reisig 5-8 0-0 10; Mike McCready 4-7 0-0 8; Chris Uhl 3-3 0-0 6; Eric Brown 1-2 0-0 2; Ian Oakley 1-2 0-0 2; Kyle Stackhouse 1-3 0-0 2; Joe Caffrey 1-5 0-0 2; Jonathan Gilmore 0-0 0-0 0; Joe Kane 0-0 0-0 0; Adam Brasky 0-1 0-0 0; Matt Fiorino 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 35-66 11-19 83.
Penn State Hazleton........... 18 37 - 55
King's College.................... 35 48 - 83
3-point goals--Penn State Hazleton 8-24 (Casey Petty 3-8; Mike Taylor 2-3; Brandon Boekel 1-1; Leron Kosh 1-3; Mike Abramcheck 1-5; Diego Jimenez 0-1; Ian Simmons 0-1; Leonard Graham 0-2), King's College 2-15 (Kyle Hammonds 1-3; Dan Maguschak 1-2; Nick Reisig 0-3; Joe Caffrey 0-2; Adam Brasky 0-1; Matt Fiorino 0-4). Fouled out--Penn State Hazleton-None, King's College-None. Rebounds--Penn State Hazleton 24 (Eric Radishofski 4; Donny Fletcher 4), King's College 47 (Joe Caffrey 6; Mike McCready 6; Nick Reisig 6). Assists--Penn State Hazleton 9 (Brandon Boekel 3), King's College 18 (Adam Brasky 3; Joe Caffrey 3). Total fouls--Penn State Hazleton 16, King's College 15. Technical fouls--Penn State Hazleton-None, King's College-None. A-250
