WILKES-BARRE, PA (December 31, 2022) -- The King's College men's basketball team committed costly turnovers down the stretch, and the visiting University of Scranton converted on 11-of-15 second-half free throws as the Monarchs fell, 79-68, to the Royals on Saturday afternoon in McGrane Gymnasium. With the loss in the non-conference contest, the Monarchs drop to 4-7 overall, while the Royals enter 2023 with a 9-2 record.
 
A dunk from first year Garrett Burys with 18:21 to go in the opening stanza put King's (4-7) on the board after the University of Scranton (9-2) started the game on a 5-0 spurt. It was a back-and-forth bout before the Royals built their largest lead of the half, 30-15, with 10:06 left in the half. Three consecutive threes from senior Tyler Faux on three straight possessions helped fuel a 20-4 run that saw King's take their first lead of the game, 35-34, with 3:46 left on the first-half game clock. Scranton would find a bit of a rhythm down the stretch as the Monarchs went into the locker room trailing, 43-39.
 
The teams traded possessions, going basket-for-basket, as the Royals held a 53-47 advantage with 14:30 remaining. King's opened the scoring and tied the contest at 53 with a 6-0 spurt, including four points from sophomore Chris Patton. The next stretch of action featured six lead changes and three ties with King's on top, 68-64, with 4:28 left in regulation, but it would be the Royals who finished the game scoring the next 15 points in the contest to hold off the Monarchs and hand King's the 79-68 loss in the non-conference match up on Saturday afternoon.
 
Junior Will Johnson led three in double figures with 15 points, adding six boards, two assists, and a steal, while Faux came off the bench to add 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4-for-6 from three. Patton rounded out the leading scorers for the Monarchs with 11 points, while Burys collected a team-best seven caroms. Additionally, junior Carmine Castiello was a spark off the bench as he dished out a team-leading five assists with four rebounds.
 
The Royals saw four in double figures and were led by Jackson Danzig with a game-high 20 points, adding nine rebounds, four steals, two assists, and a block.
 
King's shot a strong 44.1 percent (26-59) from the floor, connecting for nine threes, while their second-half defensive efforts held Scranton to just 9.09 percent (1-11) from beyond the arc. The Monarchs dished assists on 13 of their made baskets, and they edged out the Royals in the battle on the boards, 36-35. Additionally, King's held the advantage in bench points, 28-22, in the loss.
 
The Monarchs will open play in the New Year as they host FDU-Florham in the MAC Freedom match up on Wednesday, January 4 with a 5:00 p.m. tip off in McGrane Gymnasium.