WILKES-BARRE, PA (February 15, 2022) -- The King's College women's basketball team used an explosive 19-10 quarter to led them to the cross-town rivalry win, 58-52, over the host Wilkes University on Tuesday night in MAC Freedom play. The Monarchs improve to 15-8 overall and 10-5 in conference play, while the Colonels fall to 7-14 for the season and 6-9 against conference opponents.

With the win, the Monarchs secured the third seed in the upcoming MAC Freedom Championships and will host the sixth seed in the quarterfinals matchup on Wednesday evening.

A slow start in the opening minutes of this rivalry matchup saw King's (15-8, 10-5 MAC Freedom) hold Wilkes (7-14, 6-9 MAC Freedom) without a field goal until the 4:23 mark of the quarter, leading 10-2. The Colonels finished the quarter strong, pulling within one, 14-13, before taking the lead early in the second, 17-16, with 7:06 to go in the half. Wilkes built a nine-point advantage with 4:14 left, but the Monarchs used a 4-2 run to end the half and close the deficit to 32-25.

The Monarchs exploded offensively in the second half, outscoring the Colonels 36-20. It was a back-and-forth effort to start the second half of play before King's chipped away at the Wilkes lead to close the quarter trailing by just three points, 42-39, off a jumper from sophomore Caileigh Costello. Five points and a charge from junior Cailin Wilson in the opening possessions of the fourth quarter sparked an 8-2 run by the Monarchs.

After Wilkes tied the game two more times, King's took the lead on a jumper from senior Emily Kriston, 52-50, with 2:05 remaining. The Colonels were forced to foul down the stretch, where King's connected on 6-of-8 from the charity stripe to secure the 58-52 win on the road in MAC Freedom play on Tuesday night.

Senior Samantha Rajza led King's with 18 points and a team-high six boards in 38 minutes of action. Sophomore Kiersten Krouse put together another solid game with eight points and a team-best two steals, while Wilson continued to play well with eight points. Kriston continued to fill the stat sheet with seven points, five rebounds, four assists, and a steal, while junior Sarah Heiskell-Mann came off the bench to add five caroms and five points.

Julia Marino led the Colonels with 12 points and three assists, while Brianna Horton added a game-high 15 rebounds in the loss.

The Monarchs shot 38.5 percent (20-52) from the floor in the win, dishing out 11 assists on 20 made baskets. The defense won the turnover margin as it forced 18 Colonels turnovers while only committing 14. Inside the box score, the King's bench outscored the Wilkes bench 17-12, and held the 8-5 advantage in fast break points.

King's will end its regular season schedule on Saturday, February 19 as they travel down to take on the Arcadia University Knights at 1:00 p.m. in MAC Freedom play.

--MONARCHS--