WILKES-BARRE, PA (February 21, 2022) -- The trio of sophomore Carmine Castiello and first years Eamonn Walsh and Chris Patton combined for 59 of the Monarchs 78 points in the eight-seeded King's College men's basketball team's 78-73 win over the ninth-seeded FDU-Florham in the opening round of the MAC Freedom Tournament on Monday night. The electric crowd in McGrane Gymnasium saw the Monarchs improve to 8-15 for the season while the Devils fell to 4-22 overall.

This third matchup in the series between the Monarchs and the Devils met all expectations on Monday night. The score was tied at 15 with 13:53 to go in the opening half before FDU-Florham (4-22) went on a 16-6 run to take a 34-21 lead with 6:49 remaining in the half. Two big three-point plays from Patton and junior Collin cook down the stretch pulled King's (8-15) within one, 37-36 as both teams traded baskets in the final 24 seconds as the Devils led, 40-38, at the break.

The Monarchs regained the lead, 52-50, with 14:53 to play, and the defensive efforts held the Devils without a field goal over 6:47 left in regulation as King's built a 65-51 advantage. FDU-Florham closed within one, 74-73, off a jumper from Aidan Newman with 2:08 to go but a huge jumper from Castiello with 1:08 on the clock forced a Devils timeout. An FDU-Florham turnover forced the visitors to foul where the Monarchs went 2-for-3 down the stretch as the hosts secured the 78-73 win in the opening round of the MAC Freedom Tournament in McGrane Gymnasium.

Castiello had a stat-filled night with 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, pulling down eight boards, dishing out seven assists, and collecting six steals in the win. Walsh added 20 points, shooting 9-of-11 from the field, with four boards, three assists, and two steals, while Patton added 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Senior Noah Tanner added seven points and three assists, while fellow-senior Patrick Galvin totaled four points, four caroms, and three assists.

Aidan Newman led all scorers with 25 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor and 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. Brian Nichols grabbed eight boards and dished out five assists, while Oliver Ortman had a solid night of 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

As a team, the Monarchs shot a stellar 57.9 percent (33-57) from the floor with seven threes. King's also tallied 18 assists on 33 field goals, and committed just five turnovers. The defense forced 12 Devils turnover and collected 11 steals. King's also won the battle on the boards, 27-24, over the visitors. The Monarchs won inside the stat sheet as they held the advantage in points off turnovers (19-11), fast break points (14-5), and points in the paint (34-10).

The Monarchs advance to the MAC Freedom Quarterfinals on Wednesday night as they will travel down to Center Valley, Pa. to take on the top-seeded DeSales University at 8:00 p.m.