HOBOKEN, NJ (February 22, 2020) -- The King's College women's basketball team struggled offensively in the first half, and they could not recover as they fell in their final Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) match at Stevens, 62-51, Saturday afternoon.

King's scored the first basket of the game with 8:09 left in the first quarter as sophomore Emily Kriston recorded a steal that led to two points for sophomore Samantha Rajza. The next points did not come until the 6:07 mark as the Ducks connected on the front end of a pair of free throws. Stevens then went on a 6-0 run before a layup by freshman Emily Morano broke the stretch with 3:25 left in the quarter, but the Ducks ended the quarter on a 6-3 run to lead, 15-7. The offensive struggles continued for the Monarchs as they found themselves trailing by 17, 30-13, with 2:32 left in the half, but senior Mackenzie Yori hit a three to head into the locker room trailing, 32-16.

Stevens carried their momentum into the second half as they used a 10-3 run to hold a 23-point advantage with 8:20 left in the third. This time the Monarchs went on their own run, pulling within 14 thanks to a 15-6 run that began with a three-point play by Rajza and ended with a Morano free throw, but King's still trailed, 51-39, with one quarter left in regulation. King's used one final push as they inched within seven off a Morano three with 7:26 to go and then again with 3:30 to play off a pair of free throws by Morano, but their final efforts came up short as Stevens hit two more baskets over the final stretch to post the final, 62-51.

Freshman Emily Morano continued to lead the Monarchs offensively with 17 points off the bench, with a team-high four steals and six rebounds. Rajza recorded her third double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds with two steals. Senior Rebecca Prociak led the Monarchs with 12 boards, while Kriston added three steals for the defense.

Stevens (11-14, 8-6 MAC Freedom) was led by Jess Broad with 20 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks. Christina Li also performed well with 13 points and six boards. Meghan Douglas led with a game-high 14 rebounds and four blocks, while Allie Moss and Danielle Cornetta recorded four steals each.

As a team, King's (15-10, 9-5 MAC Freedom) struggled offensively in this game, shooting 26.1 percent (18-69) from the field and 35.3 percent (6-17) from three as Stevens shot 38.6 percent for the game. The Monarchs forced 18 Ducks turnovers, committing 11 steals, while out-rebounding the hosts, 50-49. Inside the box score, King's held the advantage in points off the bench (17-13).

King's will set their sights on their third-straight MAC Freedom semi-final appearance as they head to Misericordia University on Wednesday evening with a game time to be determined.