WILKES-BARRE, PA (December 28, 2018) – The King's College men's basketball team returns to action this weekend to host its second consecutive tournament, as the Monarchs play host to the 2018 Cross County Challenge featuring local rivals Wilkes University, University of Scranton and Marywood University. King's went 1-1 in its last tournament, knocking off Hartwick College before falling to Susquehanna University in the title game of the FNCB Bank Monarch Classic.

Event Details
Schedule:
Date: Saturday, December 29, 2018
1 p.m. – Wilkes University (8-1, 2-0 MAC Freedom) vs. University of Scranton (9-0, 1-0 Landmark)
3 p.m. - King's College (2-8, 0-2 MAC Freedom) vs. Marywood University (7-4, 0-0 Atlantic East)
Date: Sunday, December 30, 2018
1 p.m. - Wilkes University (8-1, 2-0 MAC Freedom) vs. Marywood University (7-4, 0-0 Atlantic East)
3 p.m. - King's College (2-8, 0-2 MAC Freedom) vs. University of Scranton (9-0, 1-0 Landmark)
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA -  McGrane Gymnasium (Directions)
Live Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

Last Time Out: The Monarchs knocked off Hartwick College in the opening game of the FNCB Bank Monarch Classic back on December 15 but couldn't keep things going as King's fell 82-60 in the title game to Susquehanna University.

Junior Andrew Hudak and Bailey were named to the All-Tournament Team, as Hudak finished Sunday's game with 14 points, eight rebounds and a block in 33 minutes of action. Hudak was 8-of-10 from the free throw line, while connecting on 3-of-6 from the floor. Bailey added eight points, two assists and a steal as well for King's.

Junior Tyler Millan scored 12 points for the Monarchs as well, and Pawliczak made three of his four shots from the floor for eight points to go with four rebounds. King's shot 40.9 percent (18-44) from the floor and made five of its 13 shots from deep, but 19 turnovers and 15 offensive rebounds by Susquehanna hurt the cause.

A Look At The Monarchs (2-8, 0-2 MAC Freedom):

• The Monarchs come into the weekend averaging 68.8 points per game this season, while Noah Tanner leads the way with 9.4 points per game.
• Junior Andrew Hudak, who was named to the FNCB Bank Monarch Classic All-Tournament Team, is posting 9.2 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds a contest.
• Junior Tyler Millan has regained his starting role and is pouring in 8.6 points a contest while leading the team with 14 made three-point buckets.
• King's has seen freshman Jake Pawliczak post 8.2 points and 6.2 caroms per game, adding a team-best 12 blocks as well. His 54.4 percent from the field is fifth in the MAC Freedom.
• Junior Josh Bailey is fourth in the MAC Freedom in steals per game with 1.9, while his 3.1 assists per game ranks sixth in the conference.
• The Monarchs lead the MAC Freedom in turnover ratio, causing 3.80 more turnovers per game than they commit. In fact, King's is forcing 19.1 giveaways per game, the highest rate in the league.
• The Monarchs have had two MAC Freedom Players of the Week already this season, as James Willis and Andrew Hudak each earned the honor. It's the first time since the 2013-14 season that two different Monarch players have earned the weekly award during a campaign.

The Book on the Pacers (7-4, 0-0 Atlantic East):

• Marywood is coming off an 80-74 overtime victory over Elizabethtown College back on December 16, and the Pacers have won four of their last five games with the lone loss coming on the road at Moravian.
• The Pacers like to get the ball inside offensively and on the defensive end funnel things to the middle, as they are 40th nationally in blocks per game with 4.6 a night.
• Much of those have come from Jeremy Ringland, who is seventh in the country in rejections a game with 29.
• Marywood has been led offensively by the 18.7 points per game from Thomas Swartz, while Ringland is pouring in 13.1 points per contest as well.
• Tone Cockrell is coming off the bench to add 8.8 points a night, and Donovan Catchings has quarterbacked the offensive unit with a team-high 38 assists.
• The team is shooting 45.1 as a unit in 2018-19.

The Book on the No. 25 Royals (9-0, 1-0 Landmark):

• The Royals, who just recently entered the Top 25 poll on D3hoops.com at the No. 25 spot, have yet to lose this year coming in 9-0 after a tight 82-79 win over The College of New Jersey on December 20.
• Scranton is among the nation's best in many categories, including field goal percentage as a team as it ranks fifth in Division III with a 52.8 percent clip.
• The Royals lead the Landmark Conference in blocks per game with 4.8, while its rebounding margin of 4.9 also leads the league.
• Scranton ranks 26^th in the nation in scoring margin, outscoring opposition on average by 15.8 points per game. Much of that is in part to the 35^th ranked scoring offense, which pours in 87 points per game.
• Matthew Mancuso leads the Landmark in many categories, including double doubles with six, while his 10.1 rebounds per game also is tops in the conference.
• Mancuso is shooting 58.9 percent from the floor, second in the Landmark only to his teammate Logan Bailey who is firing at a 60.6 percent clip on the season.
• Jackson Danzie leads the Landmark in assists, while Kyle DeVerna is 16^th nationally in free throw percentage with a 91.7 percent mark.

Against Marywood & Scranton All-Time: The Monarchs are 12-3 all-time against the Pacers of Marywood, though Marywood has picked up wins in three of the last five meetings including last year's contest at the University of Scranton. The Monarchs have played Scranton more than any other opponent in program history, posting a 45-82 all-time mark against the Royals. King's will be looking for its first win in the series since 2007 Sunday, as Scranton has earned the last seven meetings between the two squads.

Up Next: King's will ring in the New Year on January 2, 2019 with a home contest against Drew University at 7 p.m. in more non-conference action.