KING'S CAGERS POST 81-51 VICTORY OVER PENN STATE HAZLETON

HAZLETON -- Junior Pat O'Donnell scored a game-high 16 points and the King's College men's basketball team raced out to an 18-point half-time lead as the Monarchs registered an 81-51 victory over host Penn State Hazleton Monday night in Hazleton.

With the win, King's improved to 2-0 on the year while the Lions slipped to 1-3.

The Monarchs received excellent balance in the game as 12 different players reached the scoring column. King's also dominated the boards, holding a 57-30 rebound advantage, including 24 offensive rebounds while 15 different players hauled in at least one carom.

O'Donnell powered his way to an 8-of-11 shooting performance and pulled down six rebounds to pace the Monarchs. Kyle Hammonds allowed with 11 points and nine boards while Tom Heston also scored 11 points and tallied eight boards with four assists.

Connor Hughes contributed eight points, three rebounds, and two assists while Tim O'Shea added seven points, three rebounds, and three assists.  Derek Wilkins posted six points and four boards while Christian Skrepenak finished with two points and eight boards. Joe Caffrey chipped in with four points, and four assists.

Ashkan Naderi topped Penn State Hazleton with 14 points and three three-point field goals while Ricky Gill followed with 13 points and a trio of three-pointers.

King's returns to action Friday and Saturday at the Susquehanna University Invitational. The Monarchs will play Trinity College of Connecticut at 6:00 p.m. while host Susquehanna faces Penn State Wilkes-Barre at 8:00 p.m. On Saturday, the consolation game is at 1:00 p.m. with the title game to follow at 3:00 p.m.