FEBRUARY 3, 2015

KING'S CAGERS HOSTING FDU-FLORHAM WEDNESDAY NIGHT, WOMEN FACING DEFENDING D-III NATIONAL  CHAMPION DEVILS

Women's Media Notes    l    Men's Media Notes

WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College women's and men's basketball teams return to the court Wednesday night with a Freedom Conference doubleheader against FDU-Florham in Scandlon Gymnasium.

The women's game tips off at 6:00 p.m. while the men's game follows at 8:00 p.m. Ticket prices are $5 for adults, $2 for seniors, and $2 for non-King's students showing I.D.  In addition, children under age-six shall be admitted free.Fans unable to attend can follow the games online at the following links.

KCTV / Live Video (Both Games):  http://www.kings.edu/mykings/streaming

WRKC 88.5 FM:  http://wrkc.kings.edu/list/current.html

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

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

The King's women will have their hands full with an FDU women's squad which is the defending NCAA Division III National Champion and enters the matchup as the top-ranked team nationally with a 19-0 record.  FDU earned its 51st straight victory with a 90-56 win over Misericordia on Saturday. King's is 8-11 overall and 4-4 in Freedom Conference games following a 60-54 loss at DeSales on Saturday. FDU won the first meeting between the teams 83-56 December 6 in Madison, NJ.

The last time King's women hosted a defending national champion was on December 2, 1985 when the Lady Monarchs faced then-MAC member University of Scranton and dropped a 82-54 decision. The Lady Royals would then capture the second meeting 66-48 at home in the John Long Center on January 16, 1986.

King's women have been paced by sophomore guard Kayla Feairheller who averages 12.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per-game with a team-high 32 three-pointers. Senior forward Marissa Manning follows with 11.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 11 blocks. Sophomore point-guard Kasey Seitz adds 8.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists with 30 three-pointers.  Junior forward Jennifer Fabian contributes 7.5 points and 6.2 boards while freshman center Olivia Hoffman has tallied 5.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and a team-high 54 blocked shots. Junior forward Tara Zdancewicz chips in with 4.6 points and 3.2 rebounds. King's is averaging 60.3 points per-game while allowing 66.7each contest.

FDU-Florham has been dominant, in large part thanks to a full-court pressure defense that has forced opponents into a whopping 491 turnovers this season, an average of 25.8 turnovers per-game.  King's committed 30 in the first meeting with the Devils and average 18.6 turnovers per-game.

The Devils are also balanced on offense with five players averaging double-figures in scoring.  Leading the way is junior forward Shalette Brown who averages 13.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and has 52 steals. Sophomore forward Alyssa McDonough follows with 12.1 points, 3.4 assists, and has made 34 three-pointers. Senior guard Kyra Dayon, the two-time Freedom Conference "Player of the Year", adds 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 45 steals. Twin sister Kara Dayon contributes 11.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 30 steals while making 36 three-pointers. Senior guard Leigh-Ann Lively chips in with 10.7 points, and 49 three-pointers. The Devils average 85.0 points while allowing 60.7 each game.

The Monarch men enter the game with a 10-9 overall record and a 3-5 Freedom Conference mark after a 78-57 road loss to DeSales on Saturday. The FDU men, meanwhile, are 1-18 overall and 0-8 in conference play. King's won the first meeting between the teams 64-62 on December 6 in Madison, NJ.

Sophomore forward Dan Rutecki paces King's with averages of 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per-game while topping the Monarchs by shooting 50.9 (88-173) percent from the field and 86.2 (94-109) percent from the foul line. Sophomore Chris Fazzini follows with 10.9 points and 3.3 rebounds while Junior center Tom Heston adds 6.7 points, 5.3 boards, and a team-high 2.3 assists per-game. Freshman forward Dan Borner contributes 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds while freshman guard John Fazzini chips in with 6.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 15 three-pointers.  King's averages 62.6 points while allowing 63.7.

FDU, meanwhile, is led by senior guard Kevin Furlong who averages 14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists with 37 three-pointers. Sophomore forward Donte Ali follows with 10.6 points and 8.7 boards while freshman guard Steve Herdman adds 9.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists with 28 treys. Sophomore forward Michael Barber contributes with 7.2 points and 37 three-pointers while freshmen forwards Veon Lassiter and Ryan Rigby chip in with 5.8 and 5.6 points per-game respectively.  FDU averages 61.1 points while yielding 76.2 each game.

Following the games against FDU-Florham, both King's teams will play on the road Saturday with a Freedom Conference doubleheader against Manhattanville College at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.