WILKES-BARRE, PA (January 9, 2023) -- Sophomore Chris Patton led all scorers with 19 points as eight out of nine Monarchs got into the scoring column in the King's College men's basketball team's 68-57 win over Penn State Lehigh Valley on Monday night in the non-conference match up. The Monarchs improve to 6-8 overall as they conclude their non-conference schedule, while the Nittany Lions fall to 6-6 with the loss in McGrane Gymnasium.

It was a chippy battle from the start in McGrane Gymnasium, but it was King's (6-8) who found their rhythm offensively in the early minutes, building a 27-12 lead with 8:47 to go in the first half. The Monarchs lead would swell to as much as 17, 40-23, off a layup from sophomore Eamonn Walsh with 1:58 left in the period before a dunk from first year Garrett Burys sent King's into the halftime break leading Penn State Lehigh Valley (6-6), 43-29.

King's opened the second half with four straight points as they saw their largest lead of the game, 47-29, with 18:13 remaining, but the Nittany Lions would not go away easily as they used a 16-7 run to close within single digits, 54-45, with 9:41 to play. The Monarchs would return the favor with their own 14-5 rally to see a 68-53 advantage with just 1:50 left, and that edge would be too much for the Nittany Lions to overcome as King's posted the 68-56 final in their home non-conference contest against Penn State Lehigh Valley.

Patton's 19-point game came on 8-of-12 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three, with seven rebounds, three steals, two blocks, and two assists. Junior Will Johnson also reached double figures with 10 points, adding seven boards, four assists, and a steal. Senior Tyler Faux had a balanced game of eight tallies and six caroms, while junior Carmine Castiello came off the bench to dish out seven dimes and add eight points, five rebounds, and a steal.

The Nittany Lions were led by Arnel Lewis with 16 points and five assists, while Ki Barnes posted a double-double of 11 points and a game-high 10 boards.

The Monarchs shot 37.9 percent (25-66) from the floor for the game, dishing out 18 helpers on their 25 made field goals, while their defensive effort forced 16 Penn State Lehigh Valley turnovers and limited their opponents to 26.1 percent (6-23) from beyond the arc. King's also won the battle on the boards, collecting 48 rebounds to just 48 by their foes. Inside the stat sheet, the Monarchs held the edge in points off turnovers (16-9), bench points (22-13), points in the paint (32-26), second-chance points (8-7), and fast break points (10-2).

King's will return to MAC Freedom play on Wednesday afternoon as they travel out to Williamsport, Pa. to take on Lycoming College. The conference contest is set for a 4:00 p.m. tip off in Lamade Gymnasium.

--MONARCHS--