Women's Game Program   I    Women's Game Notes
Men's Game Program        I    Men's Game Notes

JANUARY 26, 2016

KING'S BASKETBALL TEAMS HOSTING CROSS-TOWN RIVAL WILKES WEDNESDAY NIGHT

WILKES-BARRE  --  When the King's College and Wilkes University women's basketball teams square off twice a year, it's always a big game between cross-town rivals located only four street blocks from one another.  When the teams square off Wednesday night the game will have a little extra meaning as the Freedom Conference schedule concludes its first-round cycle of meetings. With each team in the league playing twice in the regular-season, Wednesday's matchups will be the last chance in the first cycle of games for the four squads to gain ground in the conference standings.

Ticket prices are $5 for adults, $2 for seniors, $2 for non-King's students showing I.D.  In addition, children under age-six shall be admitted free.  King's College students attend free at all ticketed events with the presentation of their current student I.D.

Fans can follow the games online at the following links:

Video (both games): http://livestream.com/kingscollege

WRKC Radio, 88.5 FM:  http://wrkc.kings.edu/list/current.html

LiveStats (Women): http://www.sidearmstats.com/kings/wbball/

LiveStats (Men):  http://www.sidearmstats.com/kings/mbball/

The King's women enter the game with a 10-7 overall record while standing 3-3 in Freedom Conference play. The Lady Monarchs are looking to regain their early season form where the team started out 7-1 but have lost six of their last nine games, including the last two. In its last outing, King's surrendered a season-high in points during a 78-57 road loss to Manhattanville Sunday. That loss followed a disappointing 62-61 setback at home to conference foe Misericordia in a game King's led until the final basket of the game with 02.3 left in the contest.

Wilkes, meanwhile, is looking to improve upon its 3-14 record, including an 0-6 league mark after  a 78-62 loss to defending Freedom champion FDU-Florham on Friday. The Lady Colonels have lost four of their last five contests and each of their six conference losses have come by 13 or more points.

King's has won 32 of the last 35 games between the programs. Lady Monarch head coach Brian Donoghue is 17-3 in his time against the Lady Colonels.

King's is paced by senior forward Jennifer Fabian who averages 13.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per-game while making 16 three-pointers. Junior small-forward Kayla Feairheller follows with 10.8 points and 3.5 rebounds while converting 29 three-pointers. Senior forward Tara Zdancewicz has been a spark off the bench with 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds while junior point-guard Kasey Seitz adds 6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.4 rebounds while connecting on 19 three-pointers. Sophomore 6-foot-2 center Olivia Hoffman has tallied 5.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 57 blocked shots.

Freshman guard Cayle Spencer has posted 4.3 points and 2.4 boards with 15 treys while senior point-guard Sara Krupinski has registered 3.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. Freshman forward Alexis Steeber and sophomore guard Rachael DeTore chip in with 3.8 and 3.3 points per-game respectively.  King's, which has not reached the 70-point plateau since December 21,  averages 61.2 points while allowing 58.5 each contest.

Wilkes last wins over King's came when the Lady Colonels swept the season series in 2013-14. The 2015-16 Wilkes squad is led by senior guard Cara Basile with 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds. Fellow senior guard Chelsea Smelas follows with 8.1 points and 6.7 rebounds. Sophomore forward Catey McFadden adds 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds with 21 three-pointers while junior guard Jamie Campbell has tallied 6.0 points and 13 treys. Freshman forward Ashley Caster contributes 5.6 points with 3.6 rebounds while sophomore guard Emily Sofranko chips in with 5.1 points. As a team, Wilkes averages 52.2 points while yielding 66.3 per-game. Over its last five games Wilkes has reached the 60-point mark just twice.

King's men, meanwhile, are hoping to snap a two-game losing streak of their own after a 80-70 loss to Manhattanville Saturday, which followed a 91-88 home overtime loss to Misericordia on Wednesday. The Monarchs enter the matchup with an 8-9 overall record while standing 2-4 in Freedom Conference play.  King's head coach J.P. Andrejko owns a 20-11 record against Wilkes since taking over the Monarch program in 2001-02, including a 1-1 mark against second-year Wilkes coach Izzi Metz.

Balance has been a strength of the Monarchs this season. Junior forward Dan Rutecki tops the squad with 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. Senior center Tom Heston follows with 11.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. Junior guard John Fazzini adds 10.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 22 three-pointers while sophomore forward and younger brother Chris Fazzini contributes 10.6 points and 3.2 rebounds.

Junior guard Nate Oliver has posted 8.8 points with 27 three-pointers while freshman guard Jake Barber has tallied 7.6 points and 2.4 boards. Senior guard Connor Hughes averages 6.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 14 three-pointers while junior forward John Dini has registered 4.1 points with 13 three-pointers .Junior post player Derek Wilkins chips in with 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds.  King's has averaged 74.4 points per-game while yielding 71.1 each contest.

Wilkes comes into the game with a 7-10 overall record and a 2-4 conference mark after a 93-89 road overtime win over FDU-Florham on Friday. The Colonels have won two of their last three-games, including a 60-57 victory over Freedom Conference leader Delaware Valley (5-1).

The Colonels are led by senior guard Alec Wizar with 15.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 59 three-pointers. Senior small-forward Steve Stravinski follows with 14.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 47 treys while freshman guard Marcus Robinson adds 13.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists with 43 three-pointers.  Sophomore forward Zachary Brunner has tallied 7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds while freshman guard Connor Evans also contributes 7.8 points with 16 three-pointers.  Wilkes averages 73.88 points while allowing 74.3 each contest.

Wilkes has been deadly from long-range as the Colonels have made 186 three-pointers this season, nearly doubling King's team total of 95 treys.

Following the games with Wilkes, King's begins its second cycle of Freedom Conference games on Saturday when DeSales University visits Scandlon Gym for a doubleheader at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.