DECEMBER 2, 2014

KING'S BASKETBALL TEAMS OPENING FREEDOM CONFERENCE SLATES WITH HOME DOUBLEHEADER VERSUS DELAWARE VALLEY

WILKES-BARRE --  The King's College women's and men's basketball teams will open their 2014-15 Freedom Conference schedules on Wednesday night with a home doubleheader against league rival Delaware Valley College in Scandlon Gymnasium.  The women's game tips off at 6:00 p.m. While the men follow at 8:00 p.m.

Fans unable to attend can follow the games on LiveStats at the following links:

Women's Game:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/kings/wbball/

Men's Game:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/kings/mbball/

Both King's teams will face squads who were ranked among the leaders in the 2014-15 MAC Freedom Conference Pre-Season Coaches Polls.  The Aggie women were picked to finish third while the Lady Monarchs were selected sixth.  The Delaware Valley men, meanwhile, were voted the Freedom Conference favorite while the Monarch men were selected fifth.

The King's men enter the game with a 4-1 mark after a 74-59 win over Drew University last Tuesday.  The Monarchs, who start three first-year players, are led by sophomore forward Dan Rutecki, the 2013-14 Freedom Conference "Rookie of the Year, who posts team-highs of 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds.  Freshman forward Chris Fazzini follows with 11.0 points and 3.4 rebounds while sophomore guard Nate Oliver adds 10.0 points with 12 three-pointers coming off the bench. Freshman forward Dan Borner contributes 7.8 points and 4.4 rebounds while first-year sophomore guard John Fazzini posts 5.0 points and 3.0 rebounds. Junior center Tom Heston chips in with 4.8 points and 6.8 rebounds.

Delaware Valley has displayed excellent balance thus far with six players averaging at least 7.4 points per-game.  Chris Moran tops the squad with 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds while Barry Brockington follows with 10.8 points and 5.3 boards. Nick Sullivan adds 8.3 points with 11 three-pointers while Francis Arnold also posts 8.3 points with 4.8 rebounds.

The Aggies' most intriguing newcomer is 6-foot-9 transfer Manny Ochenje who began his career at Division I Pepperdine University where he played of two seasons before moving on to Division II University of Indianapolis, where he suffered a pre-season injury and retains junior eligibility at Delaware Valley. Thus far he has played in five of the team's six games and averages 8.2 points5.6 rebounds, with five blocks.

The Lady Monarchs are 2-3 overall after falling to Scranton, the seventh-ranked team nationally in Division III, by a 74-52 count last Tuesday.  The Aggies are also 2-3 overall after posting a 73-59 victory over Avernia last Tuesday.

King's is paced by sophomore forward Kayla Feairheller who averages 13.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per-game. Senior forward Marissa Manning follows with 11.4 points and 6.6 boards while sophomore point-guard Kasey Seitz adds 9.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and a team-high 17 assists. Freshman center Olivia Hoffman contributes 7.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 10 blocks while junior forward Tara Zdancewicz has posted 6.8 points and 3.6 rebounds. Junior forward Jennifer Fabian tallies 6.7 points and 6.7 rebounds, while junior guard Katie Dugan and sophomore guard Shae Grim chip in with 6.4 points and 4.8 points respectively.

The Delaware Valley women are led by returning first-team All-Freedom selection Eireann Anastasi who averages 15.8 points and 2.4 rebounds with 11 three-pointers. Brenna Coll follows with 14.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per-game.


2014-15 Freedom Conference Men's Basketball Pre-Season Basketball Poll
Rank – Team, Point (1st-place votes)
1 – Delaware Valley, 44 point (4)
2 – Misericordia, 42 points (2)
3 – DeSales, 36 points (1)
4 – Eastern, 32 points (1)
5 – King's, 25 points
6 – Manhattanville, 23 points
7 – Wilkes, 12 points
8 – Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham, 10 points

2014-2015 Freedom Conference Women's Pre-Season Basketball Poll
Rank, Team, Points (First-Place Votes)
1 - Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham, 49 points (8)
2 - Eastern, 41 points
3 - Delaware Valley, 36 points
4 - DeSales, 31 points
5 - Manhattanville, 22 points
6 - King's, 21 points
7 - Misericordia, 17 points
8 - Wilkes, 7 points