SCRANTON, PA (December 2, 2023) -- The trio of Brenna Costello, Gianna Dickson, and Kathy Shepherd combined for 37 of the Monarchs 64 points to help lead the King's College women's basketball team to a 64-45 win over Marywood University on the road on Saturday afternoon. With the win in the Insalaco Arena, the Monarchs improve to 3-5 overall heading into the break, while the Pacers drop to 3-6.
 
After a slow start that saw each team hit just one field goal a piece over the first six minutes of play, the team's offenses settled in with Marywood (3-6) ahead, 11-7, after the first quarter of action.
 
The Pacers continued to click offensively to start the second, scoring the first four points on back-to-back baskets from Kendel Card, but a five-point that included a layup from Brandy Varner and a three from Megan Olmstead brought King's (3-5) back within a one-possession game with 8:31 left in the half. After giving up another Pacer bucket, King's scored another five unanswered points fueled by four from Shepherd to tie the contest at 17-17 with 6:55 to go. The Monarchs built their largest lead in the opening half, 22-18, on a jumper from Caileigh Costello, but the remainder of the quarter featured two ties and two lead changes with the score knotted at 28-28 at the break.
 
King's put together arguably their best quarter of play in the win in the third, shooting 50% from the field while limiting Marywood to 21.4% and just three field goals to out score the Pacers 22-7 in the frame. The Pacers struck first in the quarter, connecting for a three on their opening possession, but the Monarchs responded with back-to-back threes from Dickson and Brenna Costello to fuel an 11-0 run and open the scoring. King's held a 15-point edge, 50-35, at the end of the exciting third quarter of action.
 
The host Marywood did not fade away, battling back to within single digits, 52-43, with 5:01 left in the contest, but King's had an answer. Shepherd recorded eight of the final 12 points for the Monarchs, while the defense held the Pacers to just one field goal down the stretch to secure the 64-45 win on Saturday afternoon.
 
Brenna Costello continued her strong play as she poured in a game-high 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting with a 2-for-3 effort from beyond the arc, adding five rebounds and three steals. Dickson tallied 11 points with three assists, while Shepherd came off the bench to connect for 12 points on a 5-for-8 shooting night. Cadie Lewis had a balanced effort of a team-high seven helpers with six points and six boards, while Caileigh Costello matched her six-point, six-rebound effort while tallying four assists and two steals. Additionally, Juleesah Hines collect six caroms, while Rowan Murray pulled down five.
 
Rachel McDonald paced Marywood with 12 points and five steals, while Faith Kendricks connected for 10 points. Stephanie Klemick collected a team-leading seven rebounds, and Mia Blume handed out a team-best four assists.
 
As a team, the Monarchs shot 40.3% from the floor in the game, connecting for 10 threes and dishing out 19 helpers on their 25 field goals. The defense limited Marywood to 32.8% from the field and 27.3% from beyond the arc and forced 21 Pacers turnovers. Additionally, King's won the battle on the boards, 47-33, to help secure the win. Inside the box score, King's had the advantage in almost every category, including points off turnovers (20-12), second-chance points (14-4), bench points (25-15), and points in the paint (20-18) while adding nine fast break points.
 
King's will be off for their finals-week break before returning to action on Tuesday, December 12 at 6:00 p.m. as they travel to New York, NY to face Baruch College.