WILKES-BARRE, PA (December 5, 2018) – Freshman Kevin Hunter scored a season-high 18 points off the bench for the King's College men's basketball team, but it wasn't enough as visiting Eastern University used a strong first half to defeat the Monarchs 87-76 in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom opener for both teams in McGrane Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.

Wilkes-Barre native Darius Washington got the scoring started with a made three-pointer 1:22 into the game. Tyler Millian knocked down three free throws after being fouled on a three-pointer to even the score. After an Eagle layup, Millan knocked down a three to give King's the lead at 6-5. Eastern responded with a 14-4 run capped off by a layup from Draig Ruff to take a nine-point advantage with nine minutes on the clock.

The Monarchs were able to cut the lead down to five on two made free throws from Andrew Hudak and a transition jumper in the paint by Noah Tanner. The Eagles were able to build their lead back up to 13 points following a jumper in the pain by Victor Pena with 2:35 left in the half. Joe Lonardi hit a jumper right before the half to cut the deficit to 37-26.

King's struggled hitting shots in the half knocking down 30.0 percent (9-30) of their attempt from the field while the Eagles shot 52.0 percent (13-25). KC shot much better in the second half as they fought valiantly to make up the deficit. The Monarchs knocked down three of their first five shots and got a couple of stops on defense to cut the lead down to eight points at 40-38 with 16:48 remaining. Following a three-pointer by Josh Bailey with 14:43 left the Eagles used a 24-7 run over a span of six minutes to build their largest lead of the game at 69-44. Washington was a main component of the run for Eastern scoring 14 of his game-high 25 points during the run.

The Monarchs fought back as Hunter knocked down two three and a jumper while Millan hit two free throw attempts to cut the lead down to 15. KC used a full court press to get the lead down to single digits at 85-76 with 21 seconds left but that was as close as they would get as the Eagles closed out the game at the line.

King's (1-6, 0-1 MAC Freedom) shot a remarkable 63.0 percent (17-27) to finish the game shooting 45.6 percent from the field. The Monarchs shot a season-best 94.1 percent from the charity stripe knocking down 16 of 17 attempts. Hunter scored 18 points in 18 minutes on 5-of-10 from the field including 3-of-6 from downtown and a perfect 5-for-5 at the line. Hudak flirted with a double-double grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds, dishing out a career-high nine assists and scoring six points. Millan finished with a season-high 15 points while Bailey was King's third player in double digits with 10 points.

Washington led all scorers with 25 points in his hometown while Pena finished with 18 points for the Eagles (6-1, 1-0 MAC Freedom). Michael Bowlers had 16 points and Austin Duncan pulled down nine boards and dished out six assists. The Eagles shot 56.9 percent (29-51) from the field including knocking down 10 threes. They held a 32-24 advantage on the glass.

King's will continue conference play with a short trip down the northeast extension to Center Valley on Saturday where they will face DeSales University at 3:00 p.m. in Billera Hall.