Box Score

JANUARY 22, 2014

KING'S WOMEN EDGED BY WILKES, 52-51

WILKES-BARRE — The Wilkes University women's basketball team overcame a one-point half-time deficit by opening the second half with an 11-0 run as the Lady Colonels posted a 52-51 victory over host KIng's College in  Freedom Conference matchup Wednesday night in Scandlon Gymnasium.

With the loss, King's fell to 4-12 on the year and 0-5 in Freedom Conference games. Wilkes, meanwhile, improved to 4-11 and 1-4.  The win also enabled the Lady Colonels to snap a eight game losing streak, spanning four years, at the hands of King's. Wilkes has now won two games over the past 32 meetings against King's.

Both teams struggled mightily offensively in the first half as King's went into the halftime break with a 24-23 lead despite shooting just 20.0 (7-35) percent from the field. Wilkes was unable to even fare that well, shooting 17.6 (6-34) over the game's opening 20 minutes of play.

The Lady Colonels came out in the second half and used five points from Elena Stambone and four from Ginny Edwards to forge a 34-24 lead with 15:55 left in the contest. King's did not score its first points of the second half until Kayla Feairheller converted a driving lay-up with 15:18 on the clock.

The Lady Monarchs slowly chipped away and eventually took a 45-44 lead thanks to a bucket by Jennifer Fabian, a three-pointer from Marissa Manning, an inside score by Feairheller and another Fabian basket with 5:53 to play. After a Wilkes miss, Feairheller capped the run with a three-pointer as King's led 48-44 with 5:31 remaining.

But Wilkes answered and took a 49-48 lead on a Stambone jumper to give Wilkes a 49-48 advantage with 3:16 to go.  King's knotted the score at 49-49 when Manning made good on one-of-two foul shots at the 2:58 mark.

Wilkes then used an inside basket from Chelsea Brown, a King's turnover, and one-of-two free throws by Kayla Brahm to go ahead 52-49 with 0:12 on the clock. King's responded with a bucket from Kasey Seitz to trim the lead to 52-51 with 0:06 left.  With King's forced to foul, the Lady Monarchs put Stambone on the line and the Wilkes junior missed the front end of a one-and-one with 0:04 remaining. But King's was unable to secure the rebound as Wilkes' Chelsea Smelas hauled in the free ball to seal the victory.

It was a difficult game for King's as foul trouble plagued the squad throughout the contest. Feairheller, the second-leading scorer on the team, picked up four first-half fouls while Fabian, the third leading scorer and top rebounder, was whistled for three first-half fouls.  In all, King's five starters combined for 11 of the team's 13 first-half fouls. Ultimately, King's finished the game with 22 fouls while both Feairheller and Fabian both fouled out. Wilkes was called for 12 fouls.

Wilkes attempted 30 foul shots in the game compared to 15 for King's. The Lady Monarchs finished the game shooting 27.9 (19-68) from the field and made just 11.5 (3-26) percent from three-point range.  The Lady Colonels controlled the boards, out rebounding King's 60-51, posting the highest single-game rebound total against King's this season.  Wilkes also blocked six shots compared to five for the Lady Monarchs.

Manning led King's with 17 points and nine rebounds while Feairheller added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Fabian contributed eight points and eight rebounds. Seitz posted six points and five assists while Tara Zdancewicz finished with six points and five rebounds.

Stambone scored a game-high 22 points to lead Wilkes while Brown added eight points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks. Ellen Rich chipped in with five points, 12 boards, and three blocks.

King's returns to the court Saturday when the Lady Monarchs travel to face Manhattanville College at 1:00 p.m. in Purchase, NY.

Note:  Former King's women's star Mary Beth Bowler was honored at half-time of the men's basketball game with a plaque signifying her induction into the Middle Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame. Look for a photo of the presentation Thursday on the King's athletics web site as well as the athletic facebook and Twitter pages.