GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA (November 8, 2023) -- The junior duo of Lauren Casey and Alli Lindsay filled the stat sheet and reached double digit scoring totals as the King's College women's basketball team fell, 61-56, in their season opener at Gwynedd Mercy University on Wednesday night. The Monarchs begin the season 0-1 overall, while the Griffins start with a 1-0 mark.
 
King's (0-1) came out of the gates hot in their opener, going on a 7-0 run over the first 2:47 of action. The Monarchs led by as much as nine, 11-2, with 6:26 remaining in the period before Gwynedd Mercy (1-0) made their push to end the half and take a 20-15 edge into the first break.
 
After giving up the first basket of the second, the Monarchs scored the next five on a steal and score then a three from Lindsay in a 20-second span, but the Griffins continued to build on their lead, holding a 30-20 edge with 5:30 to play in the half. King's out scored Gwynedd Mercy 8-4 down the stretch as the Monarchs faced a 34-28 halftime deficit.
 
Gwynedd Mercy continued to lead, 44-34, with 5:12 remaining in the third, but the King's defense kicked into gear and held the Griffins scoreless for the remainder of the quarter as the Monarchs pulled within two, 44-42, on a layup from first year Cadie Lewis at the buzzer.
 
The hosts broke out of their scoring drought to begin the fourth, rattling off the first six points before the teams traded scores. With just over a minute to play, Lindsay hit the front end of her free throws as King's cut the advantage to just five, 58-53. Despite a three from Lewis with 20 ticks on the game clock, the Monarchs comeback came up just shy as the Griffins hit two free throws in the final 16 seconds to hand King's the 61-56 loss in the season opener on the road.
 
Casey led the scoring with 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting, adding a team-high seven boards and three blocks to go along with two steals. Lindsay posted 12 points with two threes while filling the stat sheet on a team-best five assists, three steals, and six rebounds. Both senior Brenna Costello and sophomore Gianna Dickson tallied six points, with Costello contributing four caroms, four helpers, and three steals, while Lewis came off the bench to add five points with six boards and three assists.
 
Gwynedd Mercy was paced by Ava Casale with a game-high 22 points on 7-of-15 shootings, while Natalie O'Neill posted a team-best 14 rebounds with three assists. Additionally, Lynzie Eggers collected five steals, and Erin Eisenhart blocked two shots for the Griffins.
 
As a team, the Monarchs shot 33.8 percent (22-65) from the floor with seven threes, tallying 20 assists on their 22 made baskets. Their defense had a strong showing, limiting Gwynedd Mercy to 27.9 percent shooting (19-68) for the game, including 18.8 percent (3-16) in the fourth quarter, and forced 23 turnovers while collected 13 steals.
 
King's will host Centenary University on Saturday afternoon in their home opener in McGrane Gymnasium. Tip off is set for 5:00 p.m. in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.