ELIZABETHTOWN, PA (November 18, 2023) -- Jake Karnish recorded his first career double-double as he led the King's College men's basketball team to an 87-79 road win at Elizabethtown College on Saturday afternoon. With the road win, the Monarchs improve to 3-2 overall, while the Blue Jays dropped to 1-3.
 
Karnish assisted on a basket by Chris Patton off the opening tip to set the tone for the game before Patton knocked down a triple on their next possession, building the early 5-0 edge. Elizabethtown (1-3) took the lead, but King's (3-2) would keep it within a two-possession game for much of the first half. With the Blue Jays leading, 26-19, the Monarchs went on a run, out scoring Elizabethtown 11-0 over two minutes of action to jump ahead, 30-26. Each team took their shot at a lead down the stretch, but King's remained on top, 36-35, at the break.
 
The teams traded early possessions to start the second half, but with the score knotted at 44 a piece with 15:14 remaining, a pair of free throws from Eamonn Walsh sparked an 18-5 run capped off with a layup from Ben Rodner-Tims to push the King's edge to 62-49 with 9:45 to play. The Monarchs led by as much as 19 points on a set of free throws from Carmine Castiello with 5:01 on the game clock, but the Blue Jays would chip away at the deficit to close within eight. The hosts efforts came up shy though as King's picked up their second-straight win, 87-79, over Elizabethtown at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
 
Karnish recorded his double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, with five assists and a steal, while Castiello led the Monarchs with 18 points on 6-for-14 shooting. Walsh posted 17 points, connecting on 5-of-9, with five boards, four assists, and four steals, while Patton tacked on 14 points with three steals and two assists.
 
Austin Finarelli led the Blue Jays with 19 points and six steals, while Dylan Rowe collected a team-best 11 boards.
 
The Monarchs shot well from the field, connecting on 30-of-55 (54.5%) and 8-of-16 (50%) from three, assisting on 17 of the 30 made baskets. The defense limited Elizabethtown to 28% (7-for-25) from beyond the arc, while forcing 16 turnovers and collecting 11 steals. King's also won the battle on the boards, 39-35,  in the contest.
 
King's will take on their first home contest of the 2023-24 season on Monday evening as they host Clarks Summit University in non-conference play at 7:00 p.m. in McGrane Gymnasium.