SCRANTON, PA (December 7, 2024) -- A layup by Jake Karnish with 0.1 seconds left in overtime closed the Monarchs within a bucket, but their comeback efforts fell shy as the King's College men's basketball team dropped a thrilling overtime contest, 81-79, at Marywood University on Saturday afternoon. The Monarchs fall to 4-3 overall, while the Pacers improved to 6-3.
 
King's (4-3) cruised through the first 2:14 of the game, scoring the first seven points including four by Garrett Burys. Marywood (6-3) got on the board and kept the Monarchs within two possessions before a three from Sean Forrest with 9:38 remaining in the half sparked an 8-2 run to put King's ahead, 24-13, with 8:39 left. The Pacers managed to keep the game from getting away from them earlier, crawling back within four, 33-29, with 1:22 to go in the first, but a bucket by Eamonn Walsh with 21 seconds to play before the break but King's ahead, 35-29, heading into the locker room.
 
After trading scores early, the Monarchs went on a 12-4 run to take a commanding 51-36 lead with 13:21 to go. The Pacers hung tough, closing within single digits with 8:04 left and would eventually hit back-to-back threes to make it a four-point game, 62-58, with 1:37 remaining. Chris Patton converted a layup, but Marywood scored on back-to-back trips as it was a one-point game, 64-63, with 20 ticks on the clock. Patton buried a pair from the charity stripe, but a Pacer triple as time expired sent the thrilling contest to overtime.
 
The first 3:25 was a back-and-forth effort that featured two lead changes and a tie with Marywood ahead, 73-71, with 1:35 left. Marywood went on to score the next four points on a layup with 42 seconds to go and a pair of free throws with 25 ticks on the clock. Out of a King's timeout with 21 seconds remaining, Patton drained a three and converted the four-point play to inch within two, 77-75, with 15 seconds to play.
 
The Monarchs were forced to foul down the stretch, and Marywood went 4-for-4  in the final 14 seconds. Despite a layup from Ben Rodner-Tims with 10 seconds left and a put back from Jake Karnish with 0.1 seconds on the clock, the comeback efforts came up shy in the 81-79 overtime setback in Scranton on Saturday.
 
Patton led King's with 22 points, adding four rebounds and two steals, while Karnish had a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds with two steals, a block, and an assist. Burys totaled 11 points, six rebounds, two steals, and a block, while Rodner-Tims recorded eight points, seven assists, three rebounds, and two steals. Walsh rounded out the efforts with nine boards and four helpers.
 
The Pacers were led by Colin Himmelberg off the bench with 24 points, nine rebounds, and two steals, while Brendan Franko added 13 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.
 
King's shot 39.7% from the floor and 38.9% from beyond the arc, handing out 17 helpers on 29 made field goals. They were narrowly edged in the rebounding  margin, 44-40, for the game while forcing 16 Marywood turnovers and committing only nine themselves. Inside the stat sheet, the Monarchs had the edge in second chance points (12-3) and points in the paint (40-22).
 
King's will be off for the holiday break before returning to McGrane Gymnasium on Monday, December 30 as they take on cross-town rival Wilkes University at 7:00 p.m.