WILKES-BARRE, PA (February 14, 2026) — On Saturday afternoon, the King's College men's basketball team honored its three graduating players — Darren Yost, Jake Karnish, and Garrett Burys — ahead of a MAC Freedom matchup with Delaware Valley University. The Monarchs earned a thrilling 72-69 victory over the Aggies, improving to 6-17 overall and 3-9 in conference play, while Delaware Valley falls to 8-15 overall and 2-10 in the MAC Freedom.

King's struck first as Ben Rodner-Tims split a pair at the line at 19:19 to open the scoring. After Delaware Valley answered with a layup, Sean Forrest knocked down a three at the 17:26 mark to give the Monarchs a 4-2 lead. Buckets from Devin Kimmick and Cole Walker pushed the margin to four, but the Aggies stayed within striking distance, tying the game at eight with 15:47 to play.

The Monarchs found their rhythm midway through the half, using strong interior play from Walker and Rodner-Tims to build a cushion. A Walker layup at 12:48 extended the advantage to 19-12, and another finish inside at the 7:05 mark gave King's its largest lead of the half at 29-19.

Delaware Valley responded with a late push, stringing together a 18-3 run over the final minutes. The Aggies cut into the deficit with a series of inside finishes and free throws before taking the lead in the closing seconds. A layup with three seconds remaining sent King's into the locker room trailing 37-35.

The second half opened with Delaware Valley extending its advantage, building a 41-31 lead at the 18:15 mark. The Monarchs answered with a steady push, using baskets from Rodner-Tims, Kimmick, and Walker to chip away at the deficit in the midst of an 8-0 run.

A Ben Malley three at 6:06 tied the game at 62-62, but the Aggies answered quickly to regain a four-point lead. King's stayed within striking distance as Jaden Hall knocked down a pair of free throws at 4:22 to cut the deficit to 67-64.

Malley continued to provide a spark off the bench, finishing inside at the 3:18 mark to make it a one-point game. After a series of defensive stops, Hall gave the Monarchs the lead with a layup at 1:55, putting King's in front 68-67. Rodner-Tims followed with a bucket in the paint at 1:11 to extend the advantage to three.

Delaware Valley trimmed the margin to one with a fastbreak layup at the 0:15 mark, but the Monarchs held firm on the defensive end. Walker recorded a key block with two seconds remaining, and Malley sealed the victory at the free-throw line as Delaware Valley's last second heave rimmed out and the Monarchs secured the 72-69 conference win.

King's shot 40.9 percent from the field and held a 50-43 advantage on the glass, including a 14-12 edge in offensive rebounds. The Monarchs also controlled the paint, outscoring the Aggies 38-30 inside while adding 14 second-chance points.

Rodner-Tims led the Monarchs with 19 points while adding four rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Hall provided a strong spark off the bench with 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including two three-pointers, while Malley chipped in 12 points and five rebounds. Walker controlled the glass with a career-high 16 rebounds to go with six points and two blocks, and Forrest added seven points and nine boards. Kimmick contributed six points, four rebounds, and three assists in the win.

The Monarchs return to McGrane Gymnasium on Tuesday, February 17, hosting DeSales University at 7:00 p.m. in the final home game of the regular season.