KING'S BASKETBALL SQUADS TRAVEL TO MISERICORDIA WEDNESDAY FOR FREEDOM CONFERENCE DOUBLEHEADER
WILKES-BARRE – The King's College men's and women's basketball teams continue their Freedom Conference slate Wednesday when they make the short trip to Dallas, Pa. to face Misericordia University. The women's game will tip-off at 6:00 p.m., with the men's contest to follow at 8:00 p.m. in the Anderson Center.
Fans unable to attend the games can follow the action through LiveStats. The link will be posted on Misericordia's men's and women's team pages 10-15 minutes before tip-off. Look for the LiveStats links in the blue links box on the right of the respective team pages. Go to the following link to get to the Misericordia athletics web site and toggle to the appropriate team. http://athletics.misericordia.edu/index.aspx.
The women's game features the top scoring offense (King's) pitted against the second-best defensive team (Misericordia) in the Freedom Conference.
The Lady Monarchs (11-5) sit atop the Freedom Conference at 5-0 following an 89-72 win at cross-town rival Wilkes University on Saturday. King's, winners of nine of their last 11 games dating back to early December, boasts a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging over seven points per-game. Sophomore guard Celia Rader leads the squad averaging 14.2 points and 3.5 rebounds, shooting 38.5 percent (40-104) from behind the arc. Junior forward Paige Carlin follows with 11.4 points and 5.4 rebounds, while sophomore guard Katlin Michaels rounds out the double figure scorers at 10.1 points and 5.2 rebounds. Sophomore guard Lindsay Atchison adds 7.6 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds off the bench. Junior point-guard Brittany Muscatell (left) runs the offense posting 7.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists. King's averages 69.1 points per-game, while allowing 65.0 points each contest.
The Misericordia women's team enters the game with a 8-6 overall mark and are in sole possession of second place at 4-1 in league play after an 82-67 win against Manhattanville College on Saturday. The Lady Cougars have won seven of their last 10 games dating back to late November. Junior forward Christine Marks leads the offensive attack averaging 18.8 points (3rd in Freedom) and 10.5 rebounds (1st in Freedom) shooting over 57.0 percent (88-154) from the field. Classmate Jesse Robinson follows with 14.7 points and 5.5 rebounds, while sophomore point-guard Tyann McDaniel adds 11.8 points and a team-high 33 three-pointers. Sophomore guard Hannah Seely contributes 7.9 points and 6.1 rebounds. Misericordia averages 63.8 points per-game, while yielding 54.9 points each contest.
King's holds a 3-2 advantage in the series between the two schools since Misericordia joined the league three years ago, including a 59-50 win in the 2008-2009 Freedom Conference opening round. The teams split the season series last year, with each capturing victories on their home floor.
On the men's side, both squads are battling for position in the tightly contested Freedom standings as two games separate first place from sixth place with two games left to play in the first half. King's (2-3) is tied for sixth place with DeSales University, while Misericordia is in a three-way tie for third place at 3-2 with Manhattanville and Wilkes.
The Monarchs (8-6) enters the contest following a tough 61-58 loss at Wilkes on Saturday. Senior forward Kevin Conroy leads the team averaging 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds. Rookie guard Kyle Hammonds follows with 12.1 points and 4.0 rebounds, shooting 38.8 percent (26-67) from long distance. Junior forward Nick Reisig (left) adds 8.1 points and 4.5 rebounds, while junior point-guard Kyle Stackhouse contributes 7.9 points, a team-high 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Sophomore guard Matt Fiorino provides consistent shooting from the perimeter averaging 7.5 points with 23 three-pointers. King's averages 70.4 points per-game, while allowing 64.2 points each contest.
Misericordia stands 10-6 overall after posting a key league win against Manhattanville on Saturday. The Cougars have won five of their last six games since the semester break. Junior forward Ethan Eichhorst, the conference's leading scorer, averages 19.4 points and 7.5 rebounds, shooting 56.9 percent (111-195) from the floor. Senior guard Robbie Johnson follows with 16.1 points and 4.2 rebounds, while junior guard Jeff Slanovec adds 12.6 points and 5.0 rebounds and a team-high 38 three-pointers. Misericordia averages 72.6 points per-game, while yielding 70.6 points each contest.
King's and Misericordia have split the series 2-2 since the Cougars joined the Freedom Conference three years ago. Last season King's posted a 74-66 win in Wilkes-Barre before Misericordia dealt the Monarchs a 78-63 loss in Dallas, Pa.
Both King's teams will continue Freedom play Saturday when they welcome DeSales University to Scandlon Gymnasium for doubleheader action. The women's game will begin at 1:00 p.m. with the men's to follow at 3:00 p.m. In addition, the women's basketball alumni game is set for 10:00 a.m.
