JANUARY 25, 2017

KING'S BASKETBALL TEAMS TRAVELING TO DESALES

WILKES-BARRE — The King's College basketball teams will return to Freedom Conference action tonight when both squads travel to DeSales University for a doubleheader in Billera Hall, Center Valley. The women's game tips off at 6:00 PM while the men follow at 8:00 PM.

The games will be televised live by Service Electric Cable on TV2 in both the Lehigh Valley and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre areas.

Fans unable to attend can also follow the games online at the links below:

Video (both games):  http://athletics.desales.edu/watch/?Live=197

Live Stats Women:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/desales/wbball/

LiveStats Men:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/desales/mbball/

The King's women stand at 3-13 overall and 1-5 in the Freedom Conference league after a 71-61 home win over Wilkes on Saturday. DeSales, meanwhile, is 13-4 and 5-1 in the conference following a 44-41 victory over Misericordia on Saturday.  King's has lost eight straight games to DeSales with its last victory coming via a 64-61 home triumph on January 9, 2013.  King's last win at DeSales was 63-56 on January 11, 2012.

King's has been led thus far by freshman power-forward Rebecca Prociak who averages 12.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per-game.  Sophomore forward Alexis Steeber has tallied with 9.3 points and 4.9 rebounds while junior center Olivia Hoffman adds 9.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 69 blocked shots. Senior small forward Kayla Feairheller follows with 8.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and team highs of 37 assists and 16 three-pointers.  Senior guard Shae Grim posts 5.3 points and 3.0 rebounds while senior point-guard Kasey Seitz chips in with 2.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 20 assists. The Lady Monarchs average 54.4 points per-game while allowing 62.9 each contest.

DeSales is led by senior center Morgan McCollian with 15.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 33 blocked shots. Sophomore guard Leandra Sterner follows with 12.2 points, 2.4 assists, and 22 three-pointers while junior guard Kaitlin Kelly chips in with 8.0 points and 34 three-pointers. The Bulldogs average 67.1 points while allowing 57.6 each contest.  

King's men will look to snap an 11-game losing streak, the longest in coach J.P. Andrejko's 16-year career with the Monarchs. King's enters the matchup with a 4-12 record and are 0-6 in Freedom play after a 60-59 non-conference home loss to Muhlenberg College on Monday. DeSales, meanwhile, is 11-6 overall and 3-3 in conference games following a 99-76 loss at Misericordia on Saturday. The Bulldogs have lost their last three conference games after starting 3-0 in league competition.

King's has lost its last three games to DeSales with its last victory coming on January 14, 2015 by a 73-60 triumph in Scandlon Gym,  The Monarchs last win at DeSales was on January 15, 2014 by a score of 77-72.

King's has been paced by senior power forward Dan Rutecki who leads the team with 15.2 points and 8.3 rebounds while standing second third on the team with 32 assists. Junior guard Connor Callejas follows with 11.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 35 assists, and a team-high 38 three-pointers. Senior guard John Fazzini adds 6.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 33 assists, and 21 three-pointers while sophomore guard Jake Barber has tallied 6.4 points, 2.30 rebounds, and 17 three pointers. Junior forward Chris Fazzini contributes 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds while freshman center Andrew Hudak chips in with 5.2 points and 4.5 boards.   

DeSales is paced by 6-foot-8 senior forward Ryan Callahan with 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Senior guard Kuity Slanger follows with 11.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists with 14 three-pointers. Junior forward Connor Jones adds 11.1 points and 3.1 rebounds with 32 three-pointers, while senior guard Brian Laird chips in with 10.8 points and 47 treys. The Bulldogs average 80.1 points per-game while averaging 70.3 each contest.

After concluding their games with DeSales, both King's teams will return home Saturday with a Freedom Conference doubleheader against Manhattanville. The women tip off at 1:00 PM while the men follow at 3:00 PM.