FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Media Notes

MISERICORDIA IN FREEDOM TITLE GAME SATURDAY IN SCANDLON GYM

SEE THE VIDEO-PROMO FOR THE TITLE GAME

WILKES-BARRE --  The King's College women's basketball team will take its final step towards its goal of a Freedom Conference Championship and automatic berth into the NCAA Division III National Tournament on Saturday when the top-seeded Lady Monarchs host second-seeded Misericordia University at 1:00 p.m. in Scandlon Gymnasium.

Tickets have been set by the Middle Atlantic Conferences Office at $6 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $2 for students with ID while children under age-six will be admitted free.

Fans unable to attend can follow the action on WRKC, 88.5 FM.  WRKC will also voice stream its broadcast over the Internet at the following link:  http://wrkc.kings.edu/list/current.html

LiveStats will also be available at the link below:
http://www.sidearmstats.com/kings/wbball/scoreboard.aspx

King's KCTV will also provide a live video webcast over the Internet at the following link:
http://streaming.kings.edu/kcsports

King's enters the matchup with a 21-4 overall record and claimed the top seed in the Freedom Conference with a 13-1 mark. The Lady Monarchs reached the Freedom title game with a stirring 55-53 last-second comeback victory over fourth seeded Eastern University Wednesday night.  King's is in search of its first NCAA National Tournament berth since the 2002-03 campaign.

Misericordia, which is in search of its first Freedom title since joining the league in 2008-09, stands at 16-10 and earned the second-seed in the conference tournament with a 10-4 league ledger.  The Cougars reached the championship game for the second straight year with a 62-46 semi-final win over four-time defending champion DeSales. Misericordia fell to DeSales 63-59 in the 2011 league title game.

The teams played twice during the regular-season with each team winning on its own home floor. King's won the first meeting 51-44 in Wilkes-Barre on January 25 before Misericordia handed King's its lone conference loss of the year with a 68-56 triumph on February 14, snapping the Lady Monarchs'  13-game winning streak.

King's enters the game having won 15 of its last 16 games with the loss at Misericordia serving as the team's lone blemish in the 2012 calendar year.  Since the Cougars joined the Freedom Conference four years ago, King's holds a slim 5-4 advantage.

The last time King's was the top-seed in the Freedom Conference Tournament was  in 2002-03 when the Lady Monarchs finished 24-4 and reached the NCAA "Sweet 16".  King's last hosted the Freedom Conference championship game in 2002-03 when the Lady Monarchs defeated DeSales 66-56. The Lady Monarchs would eventually host the NCAA "Sweet 16", falling to eventual national runner-up Eastern Connecticut 67-57.

This season's version of King's women' basketball has been successful largely because of its defense. The Lady Monarchs allow just 56.5 points per-game and rank first in the conference in holding opponents to 35.4 percent shooting from the field. King's also ranked second in the conference with 96 blocked shots. Offensively, King's stands fifth in the league in scoring with 64.4 points per-game. In addition, King's has gone 12-0 in home games this season.

Leading the King's attack is senior guard Paige Carlin who averages 12.0 points and 3.9 rebounds, with 48 steals. Carlin, who was named a second-team all-Freedom Conference selection on Thursday, was outstanding against Eastern in the semifinals, posting 17 points, three assists, five steals and went 4-of-5 from three-pointe range. Fellow senior forward Samantha Simcox follows with 11.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 71 steals with 33 three-pointers. Simcox, who also received second-team all-league honors, scored the game-winning bucket and foul shot with just 0:02 left against Eastern.

Junior point-guard Katlin Michaels adds 10.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists with 64 steals. Michaels, a first-team all-Freedom choice, had a monster second half against Eastern, scoring each of her 18 points over the final 20 minutes of play while adding five second-half three-pointers, seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals in the contest.

Junior guard Celia Rader contributes 9.0 points and 2.7 rebounds with a team-high 40 three-pointers. Freshman center Marissa Manning has tallied 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds with a team-high 34 blocks. Junior forward Lindsay Atchison has posted 5.6 points and 3.8 rebounds and 16 three-pointers while senior guard Brittany Muscatell chips in with 4.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.

Misericordia, meanwhile, enters the contest having won five of its last six games and 12 of its previous 15 contests. The Cougars, much like King's, have used solid defense as a key reason for the team's success. Misericordia allows just 56.0 points per-game, just one-half point better than the Lady Monarchs. The Cougars are fourth offensively int he league with a 64.7 points per-game average, just 0.3 better than King's.

The Cougars are led by senior center Christine Marks who earned first-team all-Freedom honors on Thursday after ranking second in the league with 19.1 points per-game and a conference-best 10.3 rebounds. Junior forward Hannah Seeley follows with 11.5 points and 6.8 rebounds with 39 steals. Junior guard Tyann McDaniel, a second-team all-Freedom choice, adds 10.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and a team-high 58 three-pointers. Senior forward Jesse Robinson chips in with 11.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 48 steals.

The winner will receive an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III National Tournament.  King's, which entered the playoffs ranked third in the Mid-Atlantic Region, could receive an at-large berth into the NCAA tournament should the Lady Monarchs lose. Misericordia must win to gain a national tournament berth.


MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL RANKINGS (w/current team records)
1)  Juniata, 24-0 region/25-1 overall
2)  Lebanon Valley, 25-4 region/25-4 overall
3)  King's (Pa.), 21-3 region/22-4 overall
4)  Johns Hopkins, 20-3 region/22-3 overall
5)  Messiah, 21-4 region/22-5 overall
6)  Franklin & Marshall, 18-7 region/19-7 overall