WILKES-BARRE, PA (January 13, 2024) -- Garrett Burys poured in a career-high 24 points, but a great look at a score with time winding down came up shy as the King's College men's basketball team dropped their second overtime contest in the week, 93-91, to the visiting Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon. With the loss in the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) contest, the Monarchs stand at 9-6 overall and 1-3 in the standings, while the Ducks, who received votes in the latest D3hoops.com polls, improve to 12-3 and 3-1 in the MAC Freedom.
 
It was a thrilling conference battle from the start with the opening 10:17 of action with five lead changes and four ties with Stevens (12-3, 3-1 MAC Freedom) on top, 18-17. The Ducks went ahead, 29-19, with 5:08 to go before the break, but four points from Chris Patton and a pair of free throws from Patrick Bennie fueled a 13-9 spurt as the Monarchs faced a 38-32 halftime deficit.
 
Stevens put up five quick points to start the second and go up, 43-32, with 18:48 to play, but Burys scored eight to spark a 16-7 run as King's (9-6, 1-3 MAC Freedom) made it a one possession game, 50-48, with 13:06 to go. The Ducks kept the Monarchs at bay before a layup from Patton knotted the score at 55 a piece with 11:23 left. Both teams went toe-to-toe down the stretch before another bucket from Burys with 1:03 tied the contest 77-77.
 
Jack Spellman connected at the other end of the floor for Stevens, but Carmine Castiello had a response with a great finish around the rim. A last-stitch effort as time expired from Spellman came up shy as the game went into overtime with a 79-79 stalemate.
 
The extra period was just as exciting as the first 40 minutes as both squads matched each other's efforts before transition layup from Xander Singh put Stevens ahead 90-86 with 1:02 remaining. Burys delivered again to make it a two-point game, but the Monarchs sent Mike Goodall to the line where he hit both to give the Ducks a 92-88 edge with 16 seconds left.
 
On the next possession, Patton drew a foul and sunk all three attempts at the charity stripe as the score stood at 92-91 in favor of the visitors. King's fouled Goodall again, but this time the Duck hit just one-of-two from the line. The Monarchs called a timeout with six ticks left, and Eamonn Walsh had a great look at the game-winning bucket but the on-target shot fell just short in the 93-91 setback to Stevens on Saturday afternoon.
 
Patton led all scorers with 29 points, going 11-for-21 from the floor and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, with three steals, three assists, two rebounds, and a block. Burys totaled his new career-high of 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting, adding nine boards, four blocks, and a steal, while Walsh added 14 points on a 7-of-14 effort with a team-high eight assist and four caroms. Castiello came off the bench to total 12 points, going 5-for-10 from the floor, with six assists, while Jake Karnish pulled down nine rebounds and handed out four helpers.
 
Spellman led the Ducks to the win, recording a double-double of 25 points and 18 rebounds with four blocks, while Goodall added 15 points, five boards, four assists, two steals, and two blocks.
 
King's had another strong shooting performance, connecting for 48.7% from the floor and 35.3% from three. The Monarchs shared the ball well, distributing 26 assists on their 37 baskets, while taking care of the ball as they committed just eight turnovers. The hosts our scored Stevens 16-9 in points off turnovers, forcing 15 Ducks miscues, while also holding the advantage in points in the paint, 48-44.
 
The Monarchs will be on the road on Wednesday night in MAC Freedom play as they travel to Doylestown, Pa. to take on the Aggies of Delaware Valley University at 7:00 p.m.