WILKES-BARRE, PA (January 11, 2020) -- Sophomore Emily Kriston came up big, delivering with a game-winning layup with eight seconds to play, and then a Bulldog layup as time expired came up short as the King's College women's basketball team defeated No. 18/20 DeSales, 55-54, in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) play Saturday afternoon. King's (8-5, 2-0 MAC Freedom) handed DeSales (9-4, 1-1 MAC Freedom) their first regular season MAC Freedom loss since February 2018.

The opening quarter set the tone for the entire game, as the Bulldogs opened the game on a 5-0 run before the Monarchs responded and eventually tied the game at 14 off a three by Kriston with 44 seconds left in the quarter before ending the quarter trailing the Bulldogs, 16-14. In the second quarter, both team's traded baskets as the first half totaled nine lead changes and five ties, with King's holding a one-point lead at the half, 29-28, thanks to ax jumper by senior Mackenzie Yori and a free throw by Kriston.

DeSales opened the second half on a 6-5 run to before a three by sophomore Samantha Rajza connected for a three to tie the game at 34 with 5:02 left in the third. The Bulldogs were able to use a 6-0 run as King's came up empty on several offensive possessions before senior Rebecca Prociak delivered with two free throws to pull King's within four, 40-36, with 1:33 left in the third before trailing by four, 42-38, with one quarter left in regulation.

The final quarter of play was a back-and-forth effort, and any time it seemed DeSales could put the game away, King's responded with a big defensive stop and a score on offense. The Bulldogs came out of the break to score four unanswered points before the Monarchs responded with five points of their own to pull within three, 46-43, with 5:56 left in regulation. Then, a layup by freshman Emily Moorano and two free throws by Prociak over the next minute pulled the Monarchs within two, 49-47. DeSales builid a three-point lead two more times over the next minute, but King's answered each time and eventually regained the lead, 53-52, after Rajza jumped a pass for a steal and found a wide-open Yori under the basket with 3:07 to play.

Both teams totaled two empty possessions a piece before the Bulldogs took the lead back off a jump shot by Samantha Shinkus out of the timeout with 1:13 left. Turnovers on the following two possessions saw the Monarchs with possession as they called a timeout and advanced the ball with 25 seconds on the game clock. Out of the timeout, Kriston took the ball to the hole and delivered, giving King's the game-winning bucket before DeSales missed a last-stitch effort as time expired.

Kriston was a standout for the Monarchs today as she led the offense with 16 points, five assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Fellow-sophomore Rajza worked her way out of her offensive slump to total 15 points and added eight boards. Yori was the other Monarch to reach double-digits, adding 11 points with four boards, and fellow-senior Prociak delivered defensively, recording 12 rebounds with eight points and four blocks. Off the bench to add to the team's offensive efforts with five point and four boards was Morano.

The Bulldogs were led by the sophomore duo of Averi Jordan and Samantha Shinkus, as Jordan recorded a double-double with a game-high 23 points and 15 rebounds while Shinkus added 20 points and a team-high four assists.

As a team, King's shot 29 percent (18-62) from the field, including 45.45 percent in the final quarter in a thrilling MAC Freedom battle. The Monarchs totaled 43 rebounds, nine assists, and forced 20 Bulldogs turnovers to record five steals. In addition, the Monarchs held the advantage in second-chance points (4-3) and totaled 24 points in the paint.

The Monarchs return to play on Wednesday, January 15 as they host conference newcomer Stevens in a doubleheader with the men, with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. in McGrane Gymnasium.