SELINSGROVE, Pa. – After building a perfect record in five Landmark Conference games in the friendly confines of the John Long Center, the University of Scranton men's basketball team took its show on the road Friday night and learned just how difficult it can be to win away from home.
The Royals suffered their first conference defeat, falling to Susquehanna University, 77-63, in Houts Gymnasium.
The defeat snapped Scranton's eight-game winning streak and dropped the Royals to 12-5 overall and 5-1 in the Landmark Conference. They remain alone in first place, one game ahead of Juniata, who lost at home to Moravian, 84-80, in overtime.
Scranton placed four players in double figures in scoring, led by 15 points and six rebounds from senior forward Luke Hawk (Audubon, Pa./Methacton). Sophomore guard Tommy Morgan (Greenlawn, N.Y./Chaminade) and freshman guard Ross Danzig (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights/Blair Academy, N.J.) each had 12 and senior forward Matt Swaback (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) added 11 points and five rebounds.
Susquehanna senior guard Spenser Spencer (Seattle, Wash./Lakeside) led all scorers with 33 on 11-for-17 shooting, including six of nine from 3-point range.
The Royals trailed by six at halftime, 31-25, but couldn't sustain a rally due to red-hot shooting by Susquehanna after the break. The Crusaders shot 60.9 percent (14-for-23) from the field in the second half, including four of six from 3-point range. They also connected on 14 of 19 from the free throw line after the break.
Susquehanna pushed its lead to double digits for the first time at 45-35 at the 14:59 mark, but Scranton used a 13-4 run to close within one, 53-52, with 9:14 to play.
The Crusaders wasted no time regaining control, pushing the lead back to 10, 68-58, on a layup by Spencer with 5:52 to play. Scranton never got closer than seven after that thanks to a scoreless streak that lasted 4:12 and included four missed shots from the field, two missed free throws and two turnovers.
The Royals shot 42.6 percent (23-for-54) from the field, but connected on just six of 22 (27.3 percent) from long range. They also missed nine of their 20 free throw attempts.
Scranton is now 53-23 all-time against Susquehanna, which snapped a five-game losing streak to the Royals. The loss also dropped Scranton to 0-4 on the road this season.
Junior forward J.T. Wilson (Sparta, N.J./Pope John XXIII Regional) had 20 points and six rebounds for Susquehanna, and sophomore guard Mike Perillo (Holmdel, N.J./Holmdel) added 11 points and five assists.
With the victory, Susquehanna improved to 10-6 overall and 4-2 in the Landmark Conference, tied for second.
Scranton returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Huntingdon, Pa. to face Juniata College at 2 p.m.
--ROYALS--