In need of a kick-start after a difficult week, The University of Scranton men's basketball team turned to its sparkplug for just the jolt it needed.

Senior guard Tim Lavelle (Clarks Green, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) scored a career-high 17 points to lead four players in double-digits as the Royals picked up an 80-65 victory over Moravian College in a Landmark Conference game in the Long Center on Wednesday night.

Senior guard Travis Farrell (Middletown, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) had 14 points and six assists, sophomore guard Ross Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights/Blair Academy, N.J.) had 13 points and freshman forward Brendan Boken (South Pasadena, Calif./Loyola) had 12 points and eight rebounds as Scranton improved to 13-5 overall and 5-3 in Landmark Conference play.

The win keeps Scranton in third place in the Landmark Conference, a half-game behind Juniata (13-5, 5-2 Landmark) for second and a game-and-a-half ahead of Drew (9-9, 3-4 Landmark) for fourth. The top four teams earn berths in the Landmark Conference playoffs.

Lavelle had 3-pointers in his career-high 17, but also got to the basket for a handful of layups despite being one of the smallest players on the court all night. He added five assists, three rebounds and two steals to help the Royals snap a two-game losing skid.

The game was close early, but the Royals used a 21-4 run over a six-minute span to turn a one-point lead into a 40-22 cushion late in the first half. Lavelle and Boken each had eight points and Danzig added seven in the first half.

Scranton kept control throughout the second half by shooting 51.6 percent (16-for-31) after the break. Farrell had eight points and three assists and sophomore forward Jason Pierce (Scranton, Pa./Conestoga/Lackawanna College) scored all eight of his points in the second half.

The Royals finished the night shooting 50.8 percent (30-for-59), including 8-for-20 (40 percent) from 3-point range. They committed 15 turnovers, but forced 19 by Moravian as Farrell and junior guard Tommy Morgan (Greenlawn, N.Y./Chaminade) had three steals each.

Moravian (9-8, 2-5 Landmark) was led by senior guard D.J. Strayhorn (Swiftwater, Pa./Pocono Mountain East), who scored 17 points, including the 1,000th of his Greyhounds career. Moravian won the rebounding battle, 34-32, but shot just 39.2 percent (20-for-51), including 31 percent (9-for-29) in the first half.

The Royals return to action on Saturday, Jan. 26, when they host Juniata College in a Landmark Conference game at 7 p.m. in the Long Center. 

--ROYALS--