Coaches like to point out that defense should never go on a slump. So when The University of Scranton men's basketball team started out cold on the offensive end, the Royals turned to their defense to get back on the winning track.
Scranton scored 22 points on turnovers and held Ithaca to just 34 percent from the field en route to a 67-51 victory over Ithaca College on Tuesday night in the Long Center.
Senior guard Tommy Morgan (Greenlawn, N.Y./Chaminade) had a strong game, finishing with 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals to lead Scranton (11-3), which bounced back from an overtime loss to Juniata on Saturday. Sophomore forward Brendan Boken (South Pasadena, Calif./Loyola) added 16 points and five rebounds, and junior guard Ross Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights/Blair Academy, N.J.) added 13 points and seven rebounds.
The Royals held Ithaca to just 18-for-53 from the field, including 10-for-32 (31.3 percent) in the second half. The Bombers (4-10) made just three of 14 3-point attempts and only one of eight in the second half.
Scranton started the game by missing its eight shots from the field. But thanks to the stout defense they played all night, the Royals held Ithaca to just six points in the opening nine minutes and wound up with an 11-6 lead. They pushed the lead to six, 30-24, at halftime as Boken went into the locker room with 10 points.
The second half was more of the same, with the Royals extending the lead to 11 at 43-32 with 13:07 left after a 7-0 run sparked by a 3-pointer by Danzig. The Bombers clawed back within four a couple minutes later, but Scranton answered with a 12-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from senior guard Michael Barr (North Wales, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) that pushed the lead to 55-41 and put the game away with 5:33 to play.
Danzig finished with 10 points and Morgan had nine in the second half.
Scranton also received six points, two rebounds and an assist in 11 minutes off the bench from freshman guard Sean Cummings (Millstone Township, N.J./St. Peter's Prep) and six rebounds, three steals, two assists and a point from sophomore forward Marcus Thomas (Clarksburg, Md./Clarksburg). Senior forward Jason Pierce (Scranton, Pa./Conestoga/Lackawanna College) also had four points, three rebounds, two blocks and an assist in 10 minutes.
The Royals went 22-for-56 (39.3 percent) from the field, including 4-for-16 (25 percent) from beyond the arc. They finished 19-for-24 (79.2 percent) from the free throw line and committed just seven turnovers, one more than their season low, set in a 77-64 win over Mount St. Mary (N.Y.) on Nov. 30.
Ithaca was led by senior forward Frank Mitchell (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough), who had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Senior center Tom Sweeney (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) added 14 points as Ithaca finished with 16 turnovers and won the rebounding battle, 39-35.
The Royals return to action on Saturday, Jan. 18, when they travel to Towson, Md. to take on Landmark Conference foe Goucher College at 5 p.m.
--ROYALS--