WILKES-BARRE – Maddie Kelley had not finished in double figures in scoring or rebounding and had not hit a 3-point shot as a college player prior to Jan. 20.
The freshman from Dallas broke through in all those categories in Wilkes University’s most important game, helping keep it competitive before eventually falling to visiting King’s College, 75-59.
Kelley made six of her seven shots, including her only 3-point attempt. She finished as the team leader with 16 points and 11 rebounds while coming off the bench to play 21 minutes.
The 5-foot-6 guard had seven points and four rebounds in the second quarter. She hit a 3-pointer for a 20-19 lead with 6:10 left and helped Wilkes make it to halftime in a 32-32 tie.
Kelley’s effort earned a start two days later when she had her second-highest scoring game with nine points, again hitting her only 3-point shot, in a 65-60 loss at Alvernia.
Heading into Wednesday’s game at Misericordia, Kelley had played 16 games, including three starts. She averaged 3.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per game while making exactly half her shots from the floor, from 3-point range and from the foul line.
Wilkes is 0-6 in the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom League and 4-13 overall.
Tony Maloney, a 6-foot-4 sophomore forward from Tunkhannock, was effective off the bench for King’s in a 76-64 loss to Wilkes in the men’s game to complete the doubleheader.
Maloney was the team’s third-leading scorer, missing just a foul shot while scoring nine points and grabbing four rebounds in 13 minutes. He hit his only 3-pointer, another shot from the floor and four foul shots.
In 17 games, Maloney averages 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds. He is shooting 36.5 percent from the floor, 34.4 on 3-pointers and 76.5 from the line.
