HOBOKEN, NJ (February 10, 2024) -- Jaden Hall sparked the Monarchs' offense off the bench, but the King's College men's basketball team suffered a 68-55 setback at Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) play. With the loss, the Monarchs fall to 12-11 overall and 4-8 in the conference, while the Ducks, who received votes in the weekly Top 25 poll, improved to 18-5 with a 19-3 conference mark.
 
It was an evenly matched contest through the first 8:46 of the game with the score knotted at 15 a piece, but Stevens (18-5, 19-3 MAC Freedom) went on a 13-point run to jump ahead, 28-15, with 7:45 to go before the break. Chris Patton scored the next six points for King's (12-11, 4-8 MAC Freedom), and Eamonn Walsh hit a pair from the charity stripe to cut the deficit to 30-23 with 3:13 left, but the teams traded possessions down the stretch as the Monarchs trailed, 38-27, at halftime.
 
King's stormed out of the locker room to start the second half, out scoring the Ducks 17-6 in the first 8:08 to cut the advantage down to just one, 45-44. Stevens responded with their own 14-1 stretch, but despite the Jaden Hall scoring the next five points in the game, the Ducks were able to ward off a late comeback effort as the Monarchs fell, 68-55, on the road in MAC Freedom play on Saturday afternoon.
 
Hall led all scorers off the bench with 18 points, going 7-for-12 form the floor, with six rebounds, while Patton added 13 points with three boards and three steals. Walsh had a balanced effort of 10 points, seven caroms, four assists, three steals, and two blocks, while Garrett Burys totaled eight points, five rebounds, and three steals.
 
Both Xander Singh and Tommy Scholl recorded a team-high 11 points in the win for Stevens, while Jack Spellman recorded 11 rebounds and three blocks.
 
King's had a solid shooting effort, going 36.4% from the field and dishing out assists on half of their baskets, while the defense forced 16 Stevens turnovers, a 36.5% shooting night, and a 25% effort from three. The rebounding margin was tied at 38 a piece, while the Monarchs had the advantage in points in the paint (32-22) and fast break points (6-3).
 
The Monarchs will be on the road again on Tuesday evening, traveling to Lebanon Valley College for the MAC Freedom match up. Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m. in Annville, Pa.