The United States Merchant Marine Academy overcame an eight-point deficit in the final 1:27 of regulation to force overtime, then got two key defensive stops in overtime to hand The University of Scranton an 86-83 loss on Saturday afternoon in the John J. Long Center.
The Royals (5-2, 1-1 Landmark) received 27 points from junior guard Ross Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights/Blair Academy, N.J.), 17 from senior guard Michael Barr (North Wales, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) and 13 from senior guard Tommy Morgan (Greenlawn, N.Y./Chaminade).
Scranton held a 73-65 with 1:27 to play after Barr buried a 3-pointer from the right corner. But Merchant Marine Academy (4-3, 1-1 Landmark) scored nine of the final 10 points of the game, including the last six. They tied it on a layup by sophomore forward Scott Denin (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown) with 0.3 seconds left.
In overtime, the Royals led by two, 79-77, with 3:10 remaining after a pair of free throws by Danzig. The Mariners answered with a pair of free throws by Denin and a layup by senior forward Nick Sergio (Patchogue, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford) to take an 81-79 lead with two minutes left.
Morgan responded with a tough driving layup to knot the game again, but the Mariners got a 3-pointer from junior guard Kyle Yong (Wellington, Fla./Summit Christian), his only made field goal of the game, for an 84-81 lead with 1:18 left.
The Mariners got a key defensive stop on the other end when they rebounded a missed 3-pointer by Danzig, and Yong added a free throw for an 85-81 lead. Danzig then brought Scranton within two with a jumper with 18 seconds left. The Royals immediately fouled and got what they needed, a pair of misses by the Mariners. Danzig rebounded the miss, but the Royals couldn't convert at the other end and Merchant Marine again got a key defensive rebounds.
After the Mariners made one of two free throws, the Royals missed the potential tying 3-pointer with one second left.
Merchant Marine was led by senior guard Zach Karczewski (Austin, Texas/Lake Travis), who had 27 points on 10-for-14 shooting, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard George Hatzioannides (Oakland Gardens, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) added 17 points and Denin had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Danzig added seven rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals for the Royals. Freshman forward John Vitkus (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) contributed six points and seven rebounds off the bench, and sophomore forward Brendan Boken (South Pasadena, Calif./Loyola) added seven points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals.
The Royals shot 49.1 percent (28-for-57) from the field, including 6-for-18 (33.3 percent) from 3-point range. Merchant Marine finished 30-for-63 (47.6 percent) from the field, and 5-for-14 (35.7 percent) from beyond the arc.
The game featured 51 personal fouls and 66 free throws. Scranton hit 21 of 36 (58.3 percent) from the free throw line, including six misses in the final 90 seconds of regulation. The Mariners made 21 of 30 (70 percent) from the free throw line.
The rebounding battle was a push with each time finishing with 36. Scranton turned the ball over 18 times while Merchant Marine had 15.
Scranton returns to action on Monday, Dec. 16, when it hosts the PNC Bank Royal Rumble in the Long Center. Muhlenberg takes on Washington & Lee in the first game at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Royals vs. Rosemont at 7:30. Tuesday's games are scheduled for 2 and 4 p.m.
--ROYALS--