JANUARY 19, 2016

KING'S BASKETBALL TEAMS HOSTING MISERICORDIA WEDNESDAY IN FREEDOM CONFERENCE DOUBLEHEADER

WILKES-BARRE — The King's College and Misericordia University women's and men's basketball teams will renew their local rivalries Wednesday night when both teams square off in King's Scandlon Gymnasium.  The women's game tips off at 6:00 p.m. with the men to follow at 8:00 p.m.

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 matchup with a 10-5 overall record and are 3-1 in Freedom Conference play after a hard-fought 69-65 non-league win at Lycoming on Monday night.  Misericordia, meanwhile, is 5-10 and 1-3 in conference games after a 55-53 home loss to Manhattanville on Saturday. King's won both regular-season meetings last season. The Lady Monarchs have won seven of he last nine games against Misericordia, including the past six contests. The last Cougar win came by a 64-54 win in the 2012 Freedom Conference Tournament championship game at King's

The Lady Monarchs have been paced by senior forward Jennifer Fabian who averages 13.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per-game with 15 three-pointers. Junior guard Kayla Feairheller follows with 10.8 points and 3.4 rebounds with a team-high 28 three-pointers. Senior forward Tara Zdancewicz adds 7.4 points and 4.0 rebounds while junior point-guard Kasey Seitz contributes 6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists with 19 three-pointers.  Sophomore center Olivia Hoffman has tallied 5.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and a team-high 49 blocked shots. Freshman guard Cayle Spencer checks in with 4.0 points and 2.4 rebounds with 12 treys while senior guard Sara Krupinski has tallied 3.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. Freshman forward Alexis Steeber chips in with 3.5 points and 2.7 boards.  King's averages 61.5 points per-game while allowing 56.9 each contest.

Misericordia is paced by junior forward Justine Seeley who tops the squad with 15.5 points and 10.6 rebounds with 47 blocked shots. Freshman guard Liz Waleski follows with 8.3 points and 3.9 rebounds with 18 three-pointers. Freshman forward Rachel Carmody adds 8.0 points and 6.2 rebounds with 12 three pointers while freshman guard Japriya Carroll contributes 6.7 points and 2.7 rebounds with 15 treys. Freshman guard Leanne Forsyth chips in with 6.1 points and 3.4 boards. The Cougars average 58.8 points per-game while yielding 62.4.

The King's men have battled through a rash of recent injuries and stand at 8-7 overall and are 2-2 in the Freedom Conference after posting a 73-60 win over Eastern University on Saturday.  Misericordia sports identical records of 8-7 overall and 2-2 in league games after losing 87-77 at home to Manhattanville Saturday.  Last season the teams split their regular-season series with respective home wins but the Cougars went on to down the Monarchs in the Freedom Conference Tournament semi-finals 57-52 in overtime, en route to winning the conference title. The Monarchs have won just two of the last 11 meeting between the teams dating back to the 2010-11 campaign.

The Monarchs feature a balanced attack with six players scoring eight or more points. King's is headed by junior forward Dan Rutecki who is averaging 11.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per-game and appears to finally be recovered from a bad ankle sprain suffered during the first semester. Senior center Tom Heston has been outstanding the past two games after returning from a shoulder injury and follows with 11.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.

Junior guard John Fazzini, who missed the final two games of the first semester with a shoulder injury of his own, adds 10.7 points, and 2.8 rebounds with 18 three-pointers while younger brother Chris Fazzini, a sophomore forward, contributes 10.2 points and 3.2 rebounds.  Junior guard Nate Oliver has tallied 8.7 points with a team-high 25 three-pointers while freshman guard Jake Barber nets 8.0 points with 2.3 rebounds. Senior guard Connor Hughes has registered 6.3 points and 3,5 rebounds while junior forward John Dini chips in with 4.7 points and 3.2 boards with 13 three-pointers. The Monarchs average 73.8 points while allowing 69.1 each contest.

Misericordia is paced by freshman guard Jason Kenney with 19.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per-game with 42 three-pointers. Junior guard Griffin Sponaugle follows with 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists with 36 three-pointers. Junior forward Erik Kerns adds 10.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists with 11 treys while junior guard D.J. Marlow posts 8.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Sophomore center James Hawk has tallied 7.6 points and 6.9 rebounds with 36 blocked shots while freshman forward Tyler McGarry chips in with 6.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 23 three-pointers.  The Cougars average 76.8 points per-game while yielding 75.1 each contest.

King's is scheduled to resume Freedom Conference play on Saturday woth a 1 & 3 p.m. doubleheader at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y.