King's College Athletics

NEW YORK, NY (December 12, 2023) -- In their final match up before the holiday break, the King's College women's basketball team out scored the host Baruch College 14-10 in the final quarter, but the come back effort fell shy in a 56-45 loss in New York on Tuesday night. The Monarchs head into the break 3-6 overall, while the Bearcats improve to 6-4.
 
Baruch (6-4) opened the game with a 7-0 run before Caileigh Costello hit a jumper with 7:16 to go in the quarter to stop the early Bearcats run. King's (3-6) closed within two, 12-10, on another bucket from Caileigh Costello with 2:12 left in the first, but Baruch connected on consecutive possessions to hold a 17-13 edge at the end of the frame.
 
The teams traded baskets in the first minute before both went cold with no field goals recorded over the next 5:07 of action when the Bearcats rattled off seven straight. Jumpers from Gianna Dickson and Rowan Murray brought the Monarchs back within single digits with 3:02 left in the half, but neither team found their rhythm down the stretch as King's trailed, 30-20, heading into the locker room.
 
A slow start out of the gate by the Monarchs allowed Baruch to take their largest lead of the game, 36-20, with 7:45 to go in the third, but back-to-back buckets from Brenna Costello kept King's within reach. After a pair of free throws from Elissa Leung, the Monarchs went on a 7-2 run to close within nine again, 40-31, before facing a 46-31 deficit heading into the final quarter of play.
 
King's put together a strong effort in the fourth to try and stage their comeback, scoring the first six points in the quarter to pull within 46-37 with 5:58 remaining. The teams traded scores before the Monarchs climbed their way within seven, 52-45, on a set of free throws from Juleesah Hines, but Baruch's defense remained steady down the stretch as the Monarchs dropped the 56-45 decision on the road in New York on Tuesday night.
 
Brenna Costello led King's with 12 points, adding five rebounds, a block, and a steal, while Caileigh Costello totaled 10 points, five boards, and a takeaway. Hines grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds with five points, two assists, and two blocks, while Cadie Lewis dished out four helpers and collected four caroms. Murray came off the bench to pull down nine boards to go along with six points and a steal, while Dickson recorded two steals with nine points, three dimes, and four rebounds.
 
Mia Castillo led all scorers with 29 points in all 40 minutes of action, adding nine rebounds, six blocks, four assists, and four steals to pace Baruch in the win.
 
As a team, the Monarchs defense limited the Bearcats to 31.3% shooting for the game and a 3-for-14 effort (21.4%) from beyond the arc with 13 turnovers. King's assisted on 15 of their 18 baskets in the contest while winning the rebounding margin, 49-42. Additionally, the Monarchs bench out scored Baruch's, 9-6, in the non-conference match up.
 
King's will be off for the holidays before returning to action with a trip down to Maryland to take on Stevenson University on Friday, December 29 at 4:00 p.m.