KING'S BASKETBALL TEAMS HEAD TO MANHATTANVILLE FOR FREEDOM CONFERENCE CLASH
WILKES-BARRE – The King's College men's and women's basketball teams begin the second half of conference play Saturday when both squads travel to Purchase, N.Y. to face Manhattanville College in a Freedom Conference doubleheader. The women's game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. with the men's contest to follow at 3:00 p.m.
LiveStats and a live video feed of both games are available at the following links:
Women's game
LiveStats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/manhattanville/wbball/index.htm
Men's game
LiveStats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/manhattanville/mbball/index.htm
Live Video: http://www.govaliants.tv/
The women's game features the top two scoring teams in the league. King's (12-6) has the league's best offensive club with three different Lady Monarchs averaging double figures. The Lady Monarchs sit atop the Freedom Conference with a 6-1 mark following a 62-54 victory over defending Freedom champion DeSales University a week ago.
Sophomore guard Celia Rader averages a team-high 14.1 points and 3.4 rebounds, leading the conference shooting 38.9 percent (44-113) from behind the arc. Junior forward Paige Carlin follows with 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds, pouring in 16 points in a win against the Bulldogs. Sophomore guard Katlin Michaels rounds out the double figure scorers averaging 10.1 points and 5.1 rebounds. Sophomore forward Lindsay Atchison (left) posts 7.6 points and 7.1 rebounds, while junior Brittany Muscatell adds 7.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists from her point-guard position. King's high powered offense averages 67.7 points per-game, while allowing 63.9 points each contest.
Manhattanville (11-7) is currently in a three-way tie for third place with a 4-3 record through the first half of conference play. The Valiants use a balanced attack as well, led by senior guard Simona Gordon who averages 14.2 points and 4.1 rebounds, shooting 43.3 percent (94-217) from the floor. Junior guard Courtney Turner follows with 11.4 points and 4.1 rebounds, while sophomore backcourt mate Taylor Wilson adds 11.1 points and 5.5 rebounds with a team-best 27 three-pointers. Manhattanville ranks second in the league in scoring offense just behind King's averaging 67.4 points per-game, while yielding 64.3 points each contest.
King's posted a 60-54 win on December 4th in the team's first meeting in Wilkes-Barre.
The King's men's team enters the matchup with an 11-7 overall record, 3-4 in conference play following a 2-0 week against non-conference opponents PSU Wilkes-Barre and Penn College. Senior forward Kevin Conroy averages 17.1 points (4th in Freedom) and 5.8 rebounds shooting 49.8 percent (101-203) from the field. The Chatham, N.J. native needs 37 points to move into the school's top ten scoring list with seven games left on the regular season schedule.
Freshman guard Kyle Hammonds has enjoyed a banner rookie year averaging 13.1 points and 4.7 rebounds with 37 three-pointers. Sophomore sharpshooter Matt Fiorino adds 9.3 points shooting a league-best 45.3 percent (39-86) from long range. Junior point-guard Kyle Stackhouse (left) contributes 8.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. King's averages 72.7 points per-game, while giving up 66.5 points each contest.
The Manhattanville men's squad comes into the contest with an 11-7 overall mark and stand 3-4 in league games. The Valiants are in a three-way tie with King's and Wilkes for fifth place. After starting the year 10-1, including a seven game win streak through December, the Valiants have lost four straight and six of their last seven heading into the weekend play. Junior guard Trevoy Pointer leads the attack with 16.4 points (5th in Freedom) and 3.7 rebounds. Senior forward Peter Mehmel follows with 11.6 points and 5.4 rebounds, while junior forward Glen Rodriguez adds 7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds. Manhattanville averages 66.2 points per-game, while yielding 64.1 points each tilt.
Manhattanville pulled out a 76-75 overtime win the last time the two squads met in Wilkes-Barre.
Following the games, both King's squads will continue Freedom play Wednesday when Eastern University takes a visit to Wilkes-Barre for a doubleheader in Scandlon Gymnasium.
