WILKES-BARRE, PA (December 12, 2021) -- Offensive struggles in the second half proved costly for the Monarchs as the King's College men's basketball team fell at home, 68-59, to the visiting Muhlenberg College Mules on Sunday afternoon in McGrane Gymnasium.
King's (4-5, 0-1 MAC Freedom) trailed early, 7-1, before scoring 12 unanswered points to lead, 13-7, with 12:43 left in the first half. Muhlenberg (3-6, 0-3 Centennial) kept the scoring close in the half before the Monarchs were able to build a seven-point advantage, 22-15, with 7:00 left on the clock. It was a back-and-forth bout to end the half with the Monarchs down, 28-27, at the break.
The score was all tied up at 31 just two minutes into the second half of play. The Mules led by as much as six throughout the half, but the Monarchs continued to chip away at the visitor's lead, closing within two on a pair of free throws from first year
Patrick Bennie with 7:14 left.
Muhlenberg led by seven, 58-51, with 2:41 to go, but a three-point play from Justin Allen with 1:37 seemed to seal the deal for the Mules as they led the Monarchs 61-53. After a quick jumper from sophomore
Carmine Castiello, King's was forced to foul, and Muhlenberg connected on 7-of-8 from the charity stripe down the stretch to post the 68-59 final.
Castiello continued his solid play as he led the Monarchs scoring off the bench with 17 points, adding three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Junior
Tyler Faux was the other Monarch in double figures with 11 points. First year
Chris Patton led King's on the boards with six caroms, adding a team-high three steals, two helpers, and seven points. Senior
Noah Tanner dished out a team-best four assists and added six points, while Bennie came off the bench to add six points and four rebounds.
Dan Gaines led all scorers with 19 points, adding nine boards, six assists, and three steals in the win. Justin Allen recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, adding two blocks and a steal.
King's shot 32.3 percent (20-62) from the floor for the game while collecting 35 rebounds and assisting on 15 of their 20 baskets. The Monarchs also totaled nine steals off 18 Muhlenberg turnovers. The defensive pressure continued as they held the Mules to just 17.4 percent (4-23) shooting from beyond the arc. Inside the box score, King's led in points off turnovers (17-12) and bench points (27-20).
King's will be back in action on Wednesday, December 15 as they travel to face the Aggies of Delaware Valley University in MAC Freedom play at 5:00 p.m.
--MONARCHS--
