WILKES-BARRE, PA (February 18, 2025) -- The King's College men's basketball team shot 53.3% from the floor in the second half and 58.3% from three as they cruised to an 84-57 win over Lebanon Valley College in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) play on Tuesday night. With the win in McGrane Gymnasium, the Monarchs improve to 11-11 overall and 6-7 in the standings, while the Flying Dutchmen fall to 11-13 with a 5-8 conference mark.
 
King's (11-11, 6-7 MAC Freedom) jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in their wire-to-wire victory. Lebanon Valley (11-13, 5-8 MAC Freedom) cut the deficit to two with 16:22 to go in the half, but after trading buckets the Monarchs went on a 15-0 run behind seven points from Chris Patton and six from Jake Karnish to take a 29-10 lead with 11:03 remaining in the first. The Dutchmen kept the game within reach down the stretch as King's maintained a 36-20 edge heading into the locker room.
 
The visitors would only get as close as 13, 39-26, off a three with 17:58 to play before King's used a six-point spurt to maintain a comfortable 20-plus point advantage in the remainder of the game. The Monarchs largest lead of the night came on a bucket by Ben Rodner-Tims with 3:14 left to hold a 36-point margin over Lebanon Valley before recording the 84-57 victory at the final buzzer.
 
Patton dropped his sixth 30-plus point effort for the season, recording a game-high 32 on 10-for-16 shooting, including 4-for-6 from three, with five rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Karnish added 18, going 7-for-9 from the floor and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc, with three assists and three boards, while Jawane Buckner added 12 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Garrett Burys had a balanced night with six points, six boards, two blocks, and two steals, while Matt Christian came off the bench to add six points and two steals in just six minutes.
 
Ryan Harder led the Dutchmen with 13 points, while Evin Timochenko had a double-double of 13 rebounds and 11 points.
 
King's finished the game shooting 49.2% from the floor and 50.0% (13-26) from three, dishing out 15 assists on 29 baskets. They took care of the ball, committing just seven turnovers, while collecting 11 steals on 17 Dutchmen miscues that led to a 19-8 edge in points off turnovers. The defense limited Lebanon Valley to 37.1% shooting for the game and 27.3% (6-22) from three, while the Monarchs had the advantage in fast break points, 9-5.
 
The Monarchs look to finish out the regular season in the win column as they make the short trip to Misericordia University on Saturday afternoon. Tip off in the MAC Freedom match up in Dallas, Pa. is set for 3:00 p.m.