JANUARY 2, 2017

KING'S BASKETBALL TEAMS OPEN FREEDOM CONFERENCE PLAY WEDNESDAY AT DELAWARE VALLEY

WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College women's and men's basketball teams will return to the court following Christmas break on Wednesday when both squads open Freedom Conference play Wednesday night at Delaware Valley University.

The women's game will tip off at 6:00 PM while the men's contest follows at 8:00 PM. Fans unable to attend can follow the game online at the links below:

Live Video (both games): https://livestream.com/DelValAthletics

LiveStats (women): http://sidearmstats.com/delval/wbball/

LiveStats (men): http://www.sidearmstats.com/delval/mbball/

The King's women will play for the first time in nearly a month, taking the court 26 days since the Lady Monarchs fell to Gwynedd-Mercy University 65-54 on December 8. King's is hoping the time off will actually be a benefit in helping a number of players recover from injuries. The Lady Monarchs enter the matchup with a 1-8 record. 

Delaware Valley, meanwhile, is 4-7 after going 1-1 at the Moravian College Greyhound Classic December 30-31, falling to Lebanon Valley 62-57 in its opener before defeating Penn State Lehigh Valley 72-54 in the consolation game.

King's has been led thus far by freshman power-forward Rebecca Prociak who averages 13.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per-game.  Sophomore forward Alexis Steeber follows with 9.7 points and 5.4 rebounds while junior center Olivia Hoffman adds 8.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 37 blocked shots, ranking fifth nationally with 4.11 blocks per-game.

Senior guard Kayla Feairheller contributes 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and a team-high eight three-pointers while senior guard Shae Grim chips in with 5.0 points, 2.9 rebounds. The Lady Monarchs average 54.3 points per-game while allowing 68.2 each contest.

Delaware Valley has been led thus far by sophomore guard-forward Danielle Skedzielewski with 16.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 14 three-pointers. Freshman guard Ashley Smink follows with 15.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 21 three-pointers. Senior center Sam Foy adds 10.7 points and 5.4 rebounds with 15 three-pointers. The Aggies have made 67 three-pointers this season, more than double King's total of 30. Delaware Valley averages 60.7 points while allowing 63.3  per-game.

King's men are hoping an extremely difficult first semester schedule will pay off in conference play. The Monarchs are 4-6, but five of their losses have come to 2016 NCAA Division III national tournament qualifiers, including a 80-62 loss to second-ranked Whitman on December 12 in the Daytona Beach Shootout. The Monarchs wll have gone 12 days without playing. Delaware Valley, meanwhile, is 5-6 after placing second in the Lycoming College Invitational December 29-30. The Aggies lost to host Lycoming 65-63 in the championship game.

King's has been paced by senior power forward Dan Rutecki who leads the team with 14.6 points and 7.2 rebounds while standing second on the squad with 2.3 assists. Junior guard Connor Callejas follows with 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and a team-high 22 three-pointers. Senior guard John Fazzini adds 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 16 three-pointers.

Junior forward Chris Fazzini contributes 7.5 points and 3.4 rebounds while sophomore guard Jake Barber has tallied 7.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 12 three pointers. Freshman center Andrew Hudak has posted 6.1 points ad 4.6 rebounds while freshman guard Tyler Millan chips in with 5.4 points and 10 three-pointers off the bench.  The Monarchs average 72.3 points while yielding 73.5 each game.

Delaware Valley is led by senior guard Tyliek Kimbrough with 17.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 12 three-pointers. Junior guard Manny Brown follows with 15.9 points and 4.1 rebounds while senior center Tyrea Williams adds 11.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 27 blocked shots. The Aggies average 73.1 points while allowing 74.0 each contest.

After its trip to Delaware Valley, King's will then return to Scandlon Gymnasium for its first home Freedom Conference matchup Saturday against Eastern University. The women tip off at 1:00 PM while the men follow at 3:00 PM.