WILKES-BARRE, Pa.- Eastern University Women's Basketball came within three seconds of pulling off a first-round upset at King's College, but the top-seeded hosts converted a three-point play with two seconds to play to earn a 55-53 win. Bekah Roland recorded a game-high 24 points and 18 rebounds to pace the Eagles.

King's started the game with a commitment to limiting Meghan Nowak's touches on offense. They were able to keep the first-year standout from seeing the ball, but in doing so, they allowed other players good shot opportunities. Roland took advantage of these chances from the outset. She hit a pair of 3-pointers in the opening minutes the Eagles jumped out to an 8-2 advantage.

At the other end, the Eagles had some new wrinkles in their zone that kept the Monarchs off balance. King's held only two brief leads in the first half, and on both occasions, Eastern answered immediately. The second answer came in the form of two Nowak foul shots with six minutes to play. Eastern held the Monarchs to a single point over the final seven and a half minutes of the first half, but the Eagles could only muster seven of their own points over that stretch to build a 27-21 lead. 

With Roland leading the way with three 3-pointers, half of Eastern's ten first-half field goals came from behind the arc. King's shot only 29 percent from the field and 3-of-13 from distance. Roland had 13 points and 12 boards at the break. Paige Carlin hit a pair of threes and led the Monarchs with ten points at half.

Though the Eagles led for the first 15 minutes of the second half, the lead remained tenuous as the hosts started to solve the Eastern zone and connect from distance. The Eagles, nonetheless, grabbed a 42-35 lead on a Kaitlyn Dougherty 3-pointer with just under seven minutes to play. Kaitlin Michaels answered with her second made three of the half. Michaels, who did not score in the first half, made four 3-pointers in the final six and a half minutes and finished with a team-high 18 points.

Katie Lincoln answered Michaels' three with a long 2-pointer, but the hosts then scored six points in thirty seconds on consecutive 3-pointers from Paige Carlin and Michaels. A Marissa Manning free throw and another Michaels' bomb completed the 10-point run and gave King's their only lead larger than two points at 48-44.

The Eagles battled back as Dougherty hit a three, and Roland knocked down a 15-footer for a 49-48 lead. Michaels delivered again from distance to give King's another two-point edge, but Roland converted again from the elbow to tie the score at 51-51 with two minutes to play.

Samantha Simcox split a pair of free throws to put King's up one, but Roland again answered. The Eastern senior recorded a career-high in rebounds and a season-high in points in her only career play-off game. 

Both teams had empty possessions to set up the final 22 seconds of the contest. Down one, the Monarchs finally got a shot off at around seven seconds to play. The two teams battled at floor level for the loose ball rebound. Simcox wrestled the ball free and muscled it over the front of the rim. The ball hung on the rim for what seemed to be seconds before rolling in as the whistle sounded for a foul to give King's the lead for good. Simcox made the free throw for the final margin.

Led by Michaels' 5-for-5 performance in the second half, King's finished with a season-high ten 3-pointers. Dougherty finished with 13 points. Nowak finished nine rebounds and six points.

The game concludes the playing careers of Roland and senior guard Lori Wileczek. The two were part of a major transition period in Eastern Women's Basketball, and each played a valuable role in this season's playoff run. Roland finishes fourth on Eastern's career scoring list.