WILKES-BARRE, PA (November 26, 2023) -- Facing their largest deficit in the game entering the final quarter of play, the King's College women's basketball team out scored the visiting Penn State Harrisburg 20-9 in the final frame before coming up just shy, 62-60, in the non-conference match up at McGrane Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon. The Monarchs stand at 2-3 overall while the Nittany Lions improved to 2-5.
 
A slow start to the contest featured a three from Gianna Dickson to get the Monarchs on the board, but the Nittany Lions found an early rhythm as King's (2-4) saw the Penn State Harrisburg (2-5) lead at 11-3 with 2:54 to go in the opening period. Triples from Deanna Wallace and Cadie Lewis and a pair of free throws from Brenna Costello pulled the Monarchs within two, 13-11, at the end of the first.
 
Each time it seemed the Nittany Lions might make a costly run, King's had an answer. Trailing 24-16 with 3:58 left in the half, the Monarchs went on a 9-0 run to take their first lead since the opening ticks, 25-24, with 58 seconds remaining before trailing, 27-25, at the break.
 
The opening 3:58 of the third featured three ties with a layup from Lewis knotting the score at 34 a piece with 6:02 to go in the quarter before Penn State Harrisburg went on a seven-point spurt to reclaim their advantage. A pair of scores from Lewis and a fast break bucket from Brenna Costello kept the Monarchs in the contest before facing their largest deficit of the contest, 53-40, entering the fourth.
 
The King's offense came alive to start the final 10 minutes of play as Juleesah Hines completed a three-point play to spark a 9-0 rally to begin the fourth. Two quick buckets from the Nittany Lions had the Monarchs down, 58-49, with 5:37 to go, but another burst from the Monarchs put the hosts in the lead on an 11-point swing, 60-58, with 1:57 remaining.
 
The Nittany Lions found an answer to this late King's push on a layup from Mikayla Wright with 1:23 left, and despite some great looks at a tying score, the Monarchs were unable to overcome the two late free throws from Bailey Oehmig as King's fell, 62-60, in the final ticks of the non-conference contest on Sunday afternoon.
 
Lewis paved the way offensively, scoring 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-for-6 from three, with six rebounds, six assists, and a steal, while Brenna Costello matched her 15-point effort with six boards, two blocks, and two takeaways. Dickson added nine points with five caroms and two steals, while Hines pulled down a team-high 10 boards to go with nine points and two blocks. Additionally, Caileigh Costello posted nine points with five rebounds and two steals, while Brandy Varner came off the bench to collect five boards.
 
Jayla Galbreath paced Penn State Harrisburg with 16 points, three rebounds, and three steals on 6-for-14 shooting with four threes, while Oehmig added 16 points, four assists, and three steals. Ali Lister had a team-high seven steals with seven rebounds, and Jenna Montana dished out five helpers with 10 points.
 
As a team, the Monarchs shot 37.7 percent (23-61) from the field with six threes, handing out 14 assists on their 23 baskets, while their defense limited the Nittany Lions to 25.7 percent (9-35) from beyond the arc. Inside the stat sheet, King's had the edge in second-chance points (18-15) and points in the paint (28-26).
 
King's returns to McGrane Gymnasium for the final time in 2023 as they host Widener University on Wednesday, November 29 at 6:00 p.m.