ANNVILLE, PA (January 24, 2024) -- The King's College women's basketball team used a 22-15 edge in the third to stage their comeback, but their efforts came up just shy in a 55-41 Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) loss on the road at Lebanon Valley on Wednesday evening. The Monarchs stand at 3-15 overall and 0-7 in the conference, while the Flying Dutchmen garner an 11-7 overall mark and 5-2 status in MAC Freedom play.
 
King's (3-15, 0-7 MAC Freedom) opened the game on a 6-0 run over the first 5:14 of action before the host Lebanon Valley (11-7, 5-2 MAC Freedom) got on the board and out scored the Monarchs 7-1 over the remainder of the first with the game knotted at 7-7 at the end of the quarter. Rowan Murray and Brenna Costello scored early in the second as King's traded baskets with the Flying Dutchmen to trail, 11-10, with 7:40 to go in the half. A pair of free throws from Lauren Casey broke up a big scoring stretch for Lebanon Valley in the remainder of the quarter as the Monarchs faced a 29-13 halftime deficit.
 
The Monarchs had their best quarter of the game in the third, out scoring the Flying Dutchmen 22-15 and shooting 64.3% from the floor in the 10-minute span. The teams went back-and-forth early before a put back by Caileigh Costello with 3:16 saw King's close within 10. After trading possessions, Brenna Costello hit one-of-two from the charity stripe and Caileigh Costello drained a three with 45 seconds left in the quarter as Lebanon Valley held just a nine-point advantage, 44-35, heading into the final quarter.
 
Casey connected on a feed from Cadie Lewis to begin the fourth as the Flying Dutchmen lead was cut to seven, 44-37, with 9:26 remaining, but a five-point spurt from the hosts served just enough to hold off a King's comeback as the Monarchs dropped the 55-41MAC Freedom contest on the road on Wednesday night.
 
Casey paced the offense with 13 points, adding nine rebounds, while Caileigh Costello contributed 12 on 5-of-7 shooting with five boards. Lewis grabbed a team-best 12 boards while dishing out four assists, and Brenna Costello put up nine points as she went 4-for-9 from the floor with a pair of assists. Additionally, Rowan Murray came off the bench to collect four rebounds, and Kathy Shepherd added three of her own with a blocked shot.
 
Kate Fitzpatrick led the charge for Lebanon Valley, totaling a game-high 20 points with five threes, while Brielle Reidinger had a double-double of 15 rebounds and 10 points.
 
King's shot 33.3% from the floor, dominating the paint 24-16 and holding a 9-7 edge in second-chance points. The Monarchs also had the advantage in the rebounding margin, 41-38, over the Flying Dutchmen.
 
The Monarchs will remain on the road for their third-consecutive game as they travel to Madison, N.J. to take on FDU-Florham to begin the second half of their MAC Freedom schedule. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m.