FEBRUARY 9, 2018

KING'S BASKETBALL TRAVELING TO DESALES SATURDAY FOR KEY MAC FREEDOM TWIN BILL

WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College women's and men's basketball teams will return to the floor on Saturday as both squads travel to Center Valley to face DeSales University in an important MAC Freedom Conference doubleheader in Billera Hall.

The women's game tips off at 1:00 PM with the men to follow at 3:00 PM.

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

Women Live Stats:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/desales/wbball/
Men Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/desales/mbball/
Videos (Both Games):   http://athletics.desales.edu/watch/?Live=283&type=Live

King's women (14-8/9-2) are tied for first-place in a crowded Freedom Conference race with FDU-Florham (16-6/9-2) while Misericordia (7-4), Manhattanville (7-4) and DeSales (7-4) are all within striking distance.

The Lady Monarchs come off a 74-59 home victory over Misericordia on Thursday. DeSales stands at 12-10 overall and 7-4 in league games after picking up a 89-46 win over Wilkes Thursday night. King's won the first meeting between the teams at home in a close 55-50 decision on January 24. With three regular-season games remaining, DeSales Misericordia (7-4) and Manhattanville (7-4) are all within striking distance.

Sophomore forward Rebecca Prociak tops King's with 13.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per-game. Junior forward Alexis Steeber adds 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds. Sophomore guard Mackenzie Yori follows with 11.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and a team-high 46 three-pointers while senior center Olivia Hoffman contributes 8.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and a team-high 81 blocked shots. King's averages 61.1 points while yielding 58.8 each contest.

DeSales is led by junior guard Leandra Sterner who averages 16.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists with 40 three-pointers. Junior guard Morgan Birmelin follows with 9.9 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.3 steals while senior guard Kaitlin Kelly adds 9.6 points and 2.9 boards with 49 three-pointers. Sophomore forward Molly Jansco chips in with 6.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. The Bulldogs average 67.4 points and alow58.7 each contest.

On the men's side, King's enters the game with a 10-12 overall record and are in fifth-place in the Freedom Conference with a 6-5 mark with the top-four teams qualifying for the conference tournament. The Monarchs come off a 94-85 home loss to Misericordia Thursday night. DeSales, meanwhile, is 17-5 and 8-3 in league competition following a 72-67 home loss to Wilkes on Thursday.

Wilkes tops the conference with a 9-2 mark and are followed by DeSales (8-3), Misericordia (8-3), Eastern (7-4 and King's (6-5).

The Monarchs are led by senior guard Connor Callejas who is averaging 18.0 points with 2.1 assists and a team-high 62 three pointers. Senior forward Chris Fazzini follows with 12.6 points and 6.3 rebounds and scored his 1,000-point against Misericordia Thursday night. Freshman guard Noah Tanner adds 9.5 points and 2.5 assists while sophomore guard Tyler Millan contributes 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists with 34 three-pointers. Sophomore guard Joshua Bailey chips in with 8.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 23 three-pointers. The Monarchs average 80.6 points while allowing 83.6 each contest.

DeSales is led by sophomore forward Kweku Dawson-Amoah with 14.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per-game. Sophomore guard Tracy Simsick follows with 12.5 points and 2.7 rebounds while junior forward Luke Connaghan adds 11.3 points and 6.4 rebounds. Senior forward Connor Jones chips in with 10.8 points and 5.3 boards. The Bulldogs average 75.5 points while allowing 68.4 each contest.

King's teams will return to the court Tuesday with a home doubleheader against cross-town rival Wilkes University in Scandlon Gymnasium. The women play at 6:00 PM while the men follow at 8:00 PM.