WILKES-BARRE, PA (November 25, 2024) – Trailing by one at the break, the King's College men's basketball team out scored the visiting Lycoming College, 49-23, in the second half on their way to the 94-69 win in McGrane Gymnasium on Monday night. The Monarchs win their third straight and improve to 4-1 while the Warriors drop to 1-6.
King's (4-1) scored the first four points of the game on a dunk by Garrett Burys and a jumper by Eamonn Walsh, but Lycoming (1-6) found their stride as the game then featured five ties and a lead change with the score knotted at 19-19 with 11:29 left in the half. The Warriors opened the game with a 25-9 run to jump ahead, 44-28, with 5:56 to play in the first. The Monarchs made their comeback as Walsh scored nine of the hosts' 17 points in their 17-2 rally to close within one, 46-45, at halftime.
The second half was all King's as Burys amped up the crowd with back-to-back dunks as part of a 10-2 spurt to start the frame. Lycoming came back within three, 59-56, with 11:14 remaining, but the Monarchs took command down the stretch and never looked back. A layup from Ray Gooley with 1:08 to play gave King's their largest lead of the game, a 27-point advantage, before posting the 94-69 win on Monday night.
Burys led the Monarchs with 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds and adding a steal, while Ben Rodner-Tims had a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists to go along with five boards. Walsh added 17 points with seven caroms and two helpers, while Chris Patton tacked on 12 points with seven rebounds, five steals, and four dimes. Sean Forrest came off the bench to add nine points, while Jake Karnish collected nine boards with three assists, a steal, and a block.
Misaias Herrera led all scorers off the bench for Lycoming, pouring in 24 points, while Isaiah Valentine had 10 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
As a team, the Monarchs shot 52.4% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc while dishing out 23 assists on their 33 field goals. The defense collected seven steals on 13 Warriors miscues while holding Lycoming to 21.8% from the floor and 16.6% from three in the second half. King's dominated the battle on the boards, 49-24, for the contest as well as holding a 21-17 edge in points off turnovers, 12-8 advantage in second-chance points, and 38-18 margin in points in the paint.
The Monarchs will be off for the holiday weekend before returning to action on Wednesday, December 4 as they travel to Hackettstown, N.J. to take on Centenary University. Tip off is set for 8:00 p.m.
--MONARCHS--