BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Sophomore Logan Bailey (Scranton, Pa./Scranton Prep) recorded his first career double-double with game-highs of 35 points and 11 rebounds on Wednesday night at Moravian, but the Royals were doomed by turnovers in an 80-67 loss to the defending Landmark Conference champion Greyhounds.
On an evening in which Scranton (12-2, 1-2 Landmark) shot 49.1 percent from the field and held a 41-27 advantage in rebounding, it was 28 turnovers by the visitors that Moravian (9-5, 2-1 Landmark) turned into 31 points that proved to be the difference.
The Greyhounds staked out a 22-15 advantage over the first 10 minutes of Wednesday contest before the Royals netted six straight points to pull to within one point on a jumper from junior Matthew Mancuso (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) with 4:27 remaining in the first half.
Following a Moravian field goal, Bailey made a pair of shots to once again make it a one-point game, 27-26, at the 3:48 mark before the hosts closed the period with a 10-5 push to hold a 37-31 advantage at halftime.
Freshman Jack Brockett (Shamong, N.J./Seneca) opened the second half with a lay-in to cut Scranton's deficit to four points, but Moravian outscored the Royals 14-4 over the next 3:15 to extend its lead to 51-37 with 16 and a half minutes left in regulation.
The Greyhounds led by as many as 15 points before Scranton used a 17-5 surge that included 13 points from Bailey, to pull to within three points at 66-63 with 3:44 remaining.
Moravian quelled the Royals' comeback bid netting the next seven points to push their lead back to double-digits and went 5-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minute after Scranton pulled back to within six points.
Bailey's 35 points was a new career-high and it came on a 14-of-22 effort from the field including one three-pointer while also making 6-of-8 shots from the free throw line. He also collected a team-best two steals in the contest.
Mancuso and freshman Jackson Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights) scored nine points apiece while junior Kyle DeVerna (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) led the squad with four assists.
Sophomore Nolan Genasevich (Sugarloaf, Pa./Home School) totaled seven points, six rebounds, and blocked two shots while junior Jack Dreisbach (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) also blocked a pair of shots for the Royals.
The Royals made 12-of-16 free throw attempts on the night and were just 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) from three-point range on the night.
Moravian connected on 43.8 percent of their field goal attempts in the contest while going 35.7 percent from long distance and 73.7 percent from the stripe. The Greyhounds committed just 12 turnovers in the contest.
Scranton will look to get back into the win column on Saturday when it returns home to host Catholic in a Landmark Conference matchup starting at 4 p.m. in the John Long Center.