ELIZABETHTOWN, PA (November 20, 2021) -- After trailing 52-32 at the half, the King's College men's basketball team outscored the host Elizabethtown College, 51-33, in the second half, but the comeback effort came up just short with the Monarchs falling, 85-83, to break their three-game win streak. King's falls to 3-2 overall while the Blue Jays improve to 3-2.

It was a back-and-forth effort to start before the Blue Jays got rolling offensively, building a 23-point advantage, 47-24, with 3:07 to go in the opening half. The Monarchs closed the half on an 8-5 run behind five points from sophomore Carmine Castiello as King's trailed, 52-32, at the break.

The Monarchs came out firing in the second half, shooting 43.8 percent (14-32) from the floor and 44.4 percent from three. King's chipped away at the lead and closed within nine, 66-57, on an offensive put back for a three-point play from first year Patrick Bennie with 10:39 to go. After a Blue Jays three, senior Noah Tanner went off for eight straight points to bring the Monarchs within four, 69-56, at the 9:35 mark. 

Elizabethtown rebuilt their lead to double digits, but King's would not allow the hosts to run away with the game, tying the contest at 81 with 1:55 left in regulation on another three from Tanner. A three from Elizabethtown's Rance Russo put the Blue Jays ahead, and after a few empty possessions from both teams Castiello hit two from the charity stripe as he was fouled on an offensive rebound to bring the Monarchs back within one, 84-83.

King's was forced to foul to get the ball back, and Jalin Robinson hit the first of his two attempts, and the Monarchs final effort fell short as King's lost in their third consecutive road game, 85-83, to Elizabethtown College.

Tanner hit a season-high 20 points for the Monarchs offense, shooting 7-for-11 and a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the arc, adding four boards, four steals, two assists, and a block. First year Chris Patton added 18 points, including a perfect 11-for-11 on his trips to the free throw line, with two assists and two steals, while Castiello matched his efforts with 18 points, adding seven boards and two assists. Senior Patrick Galvin collected a team-high 10 caroms, and Bennie posted a career-high 14 points going 4-for-5 from the floor with six boards and two assists.

Elizabethtown was led by Rance Russo with 21 points and Jalin Robinson with 20 tallies. Nick Rappa collected a game-high 16 rebounds, while Jared Archer dished out a team-high six assists.

King's shot 39 percent (23-59) from the floor for the game and 41.7 percent (10-24) from three. They totaled 11 team assists and 37 boards, while forcing 15 Blue Jays turnovers and totaling 10 steals. The Monarchs held the advantage inside the box score in points off turnovers (17-15), second chance points (11-5), and bench points (37-17).

The Monarchs return home for their first home game in 11 days as they host the Defenders of Clarks Summit University on Monday, November 22 at 7:00 p.m. in McGrane Gymnasium.