MADISON, NJ (January 18, 2020) -- Sophomore guard Kevin Hunter was 6-of-11 from downtown Saturday afternoon, scoring 20 points to lead the King's College men's basketball team to a 85-59 win at FDU-Florham in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) play from the Ferguson Recreation Center. Hunter was one of five players in double figures Saturday for the Monarchs, who climbed back over .500 on the season at 8-7 while earning its first MAC Freedom win of the year. 

Hunter just missed his career-high of 21 points, set last year against the University of Scranton, but was the catalyst for an offense that came into the game looking to reignite an offense that had been potent during the early going this season. The offensive unit, coupled with a defense that has held teams to 65.5 points on average the last four games, was the perfect recipe to help the Monarchs earn the 26-point win. 

Things were close though early in the game, as the home Devils (6-9, 1-3 MAC Freedom) led by five at 16-11 after a four-point play from Andy Fleurantin. The Monarchs would go on an 8-0 run over the next two minutes, with all eight points coming inside the paint thanks to two layups apiece from Jake Pawliczak and Andrew Hudak. 

The two teams would exchange the lead before King's surged ahead thanks to a three-point barrage from Hunter, who drilled three straight triples over a 1:06 stretch to give the Monarchs a 28-25 lead with 7:16 to go in the first half. The run continued until the Monarchs led 32-25 following another Pawliczak layup with just over four minutes to play. The Monarchs would continue to lead heading into the break, taking a 37-31 into intermission. 

After halftime, the Monarch offense exploded shooting 60.0 percent (18-30) from the floor while making eight of the 13 three-point attempts in the period. With the lead just nine points with 8:36 to go in regulation, King's ballooned the advantage all the way up to 29 points with 31 seconds to go on a Devin Rajza three-pointer in pulling away late. The Monarch defense held FDU-Florham to 31 percent shooting in the second half to help King's run away for the win. 

Along with Hunter, Pawliczak chalked up 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting, adding 13 rebounds for the second double-double of the season for the sophomore post player. Freshman Tyler Faux was efficient from the floor Saturday, going 5-of-7 from deep for 15 points, while Hudak posted 14 points, three rebounds and a team-best seven assists. Sophomore Patrick Galvin also was strong, as he added 11 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. 

Senior Josh Bailey didn't light up the scoreboard, but played strong defense and added four points and six assists in 21 minutes of action. The Monarchs dominated the points in the paint category Saturday 42-14, while also finishing with 17 points off turnovers. King's shot a season-best 52.3 percent from the floor in the win, while the 52.0 percent (13-25) from three-land was also a 2019-20 season high. The Monarchs also assisted on 26 of the 34 made buckets Saturday. 

The host Devils were led by the 15 points from Kenneth LaRocca, while Fleurantin and Oliver Ortman each tallied 14 points in the loss. King's won the rebounding battle 38-29, and held the hosts without a second-chance point in the game. In fact, FDU-Florham posted only five offensive rebounds the entire game.  

The Monarchs will look to earn back-to-back wins on Wednesday, heading down the road to crosstown rival Wilkes University for a 6 p.m. tip-off with the Colonels in MAC Freedom play from the Marts Center.