SELINSGROVE, PA (November 15, 2024) -- The trio of Garrett Burys, Jake Karnish, and Chris Patton combined for 40 points, but their efforts came up shy as the King's College men's basketball team dropped a 73-62 decision in their first road test of the season at Susquehanna University. With the setback on Friday night in the opening round of the Susquehanna Tip Off Tournament, the Monarchs drop to 1-1 overall, while the River Hawks improved to 2-0.
 
King's (1-1) scored the first two buckets of the game before Susquehanna (2-0) got on the board 2:46 into the contest. The teams traded scores before the Monarchs went on a 13-6 run capped off with a three from Ray Gooley with 7:35 left in the half, holding on to a 22-13 edge. The River Hawks responded, closing within a bucket with 2:09 to go to open a 9-4 run to end the half as King's faced a 35-32 halftime deficit.
 
The Monarchs shifted the momentum out of the break, again scoring the first seven point to regain the lead, 39-35. After two ties and two lead changes, the host Susquehanna was back on top thanks to an 11-2 spurt. King's closed back within a score, 52-51, on a triple from Patton with 9:50 to play, but it was the River Hawks that answered again with 12 unanswered points that proved costly as the King's fell, 73-62, on the road on Friday night.
 
Burys led the Monarchs with 15 points, shooting 7-of-15 from the floor, with six boards and four blocks, while Patton scored 13 with six rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Karnish rounded out the leading scorers with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting with team-highs of eight caroms and five assists. Eamonn Walsh collected five boards, while both Gooley and Sean Forrest contributed five points off the bench.
 
Billy Anderson paced the River Hawks off the bench with 20 points, while Jackson Van Wagener collected 10 boards with four assists and three steals.
 
Despite the setback, King's shot 40.0% (24-60) from the floor with 16 helpers on their 24 field goals. They were slightly edged in the rebounding margin, 40-38, but the defense forced 13 River Hawk turnovers. Inside the box score, the Monarchs had the advantage in second-chance points (10-7) and points in the paint (36-32).
 
The Monarchs will set their sights on tomorrow afternoon's consolation contest with Penn State Brandywine. Tip off in the second day of the Susquehanna Tip Off Tournament is set for 1:00 p.m. in Selinsgrove, Pa.