WILKES-BARRE, PA (February 1, 2025) -- The King's College men's basketball team shot 50% from beyond the arc to fuel their 81-77 overtime victory over the visiting FDU-Florham on Saturday afternoon in McGrane Gymnasium. With the win in the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) contest, the Monarchs improve to 8-9 overall and 3-5 in the standings, while the Devils fall to 8-11 with a 2-6 conference mark.
 
It was a classic conference battle throughout the opening half with neither team leading by more than two possessions over the first 14:24 of action. A triple by Chris Patton as part of his 6-7 effort beyond the arc in the first half sparked a 14-3 run to end the half as King's (8-9, 3-5 MAC Freedom) led, 42-37, at the break.
 
The second half was a similar story as neither team could build more than a two-possession lead over the other. With the Monarchs ahead 57-51 with 9:49 remaining, both teams went cold from the floor before a pair of free throws from FDU-Florham (8-11, 2-6 MAC Freedom) with 6:49 left broke the drought. King's built their largest lead of the night as Jawane Buckner hit a pair at the charity stripe to make it a seven-point contest, 66-59, with 2:56 to play, but the Devils staged their comeback, scoring the final seven points in the second to force overtime and extend the MAC Freedom battle.
 
FDU-Florham had the upper hand early in the extra period, building a 72-70 advantage, but Patton was sent to the free throw line three times over the next 1:27 of action where he connected for 7-for-8 to build their five-point cushion with 37 ticks left. The Devils hit a three with 20 seconds to play to make it a two-point game, but FDU-Florham was forced to foul as Jake Karnish and Eamonn Walsh helped ice the game from the line to secure the 81-77 overtime win on Saturday afternoon.
 
Patton led all scorers with 32 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block, while Sean Forrest came off the bench to add 15 points, going 3-for-5 from three, with three boards. Garrett Burys posted a double-double of 15 rebounds and 12 points to go along with four blocks, and Karnish totaled eight points, five boards, and two helpers. Buckner dished out a team-high four assists as well in the win.
 
Both Christopher Smith and Ethan Klueh finished with 15 points for FDU-Florham, and Carson Woods collected a team-high eight boards.
 
King's shot 37.1% from the floor in the game and an impressive 50% (11-22) from three with 15 assists on 23 field goals. They took care of the ball, committing just nine turnovers, while the defense forced 11 by the Devils.
 
The Monarchs will look to defend their home court of McGrane Gymnasium again on Wednesday night as they host DeSales University in MAC Freedom play. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. in Wilkes-Barre.