RADNOR - Senior forward Matthew Mancuso (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) put together the best game of his career at The University of Scranton, pouring in 38 points and snatching 22 rebounds, as the men's basketball team got past host Cabrini, 93-86, on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, Scranton moved to 4-1 overall for the year, while Cabrini fell to 2-4 with the defeat.
In the first 10 minutes of action, the Royals opened their first big lead of the night, as they went up, 23-14, on the host Cavaliers after a made three-pointer by sophomore Jackson Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights).
Once Scranton opened a double-digit lead in the period, they controlled play, taking their biggest lead of the game with five minutes at 39-26 after junior Logan Bailey (Scranton, Pa./Scranton Prep) made a lay-in. That double-digit lead held for the Royals through the rest of the half, as they went into intermission up, 47-35, on host Cabrini.
In the second half, the offense did not slow down for the Royals all period, as they quickly scored four straight points out of halftime to take a 51-35 lead on Cabrini two minutes into the second half. But, later in the period, Cabrini came back, as the Cavaliers cut the Scranton lead all the way down to a point (57-56) with 11:56 left.
But, Danzig and Mancuso made a pair of quick three's to extinguish the Cabrini threat and put Scranton back up seven (63-56). The hits kept coming from Scranton from there and after senior Kyle DeVerna made a three with 8:17 left, the Royals had ballooned their lead back up to double-digits at 71-58 after a 14-2 run.
Over the next six minutes, Scranton kept Cabrini at arm's length, until the two-minute mark when the Cavaliers sliced the Royals' lead down to three points (83-80). After scoring three straight to make it 86-80, Cabrini once again nailed a three to get the deficit back down to three points with 1:08 left (86-83).
But, this was the closest Cabrini came to the Scranton lead the rest of the game, as Mancuso scored seven straight for the Royal to put the game on ice and lift Scranton to a seven point win on the road.
Overall, Mancuso was a force on the scoring end and the glass in the win with his 38 point, 22 rebound effort that smashed career-highs in both categories for the senior.
Shooting 14-of-18 from the free throw line in the game, Mancuso's 22 total rebound performance was the best for a Royal in a game since Matt Cusano's same total rebounding effort against Catholic on Jan. 6, 1993, as the effort was the 14th best in program history. Meanwhile, the 38 point performance was the 17th best in program history in a game, matching an effort by Joe Stachnik vs. Susquehanna in 1960. Mancuso also had four assists, two steals and two blocks in the win, as well.
Elsewhere in the win, Bailey finished with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor, and Danzig rounded out the double-digit scorers for Scranton with 19 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.
Cabrini was led in a losing effort by Keith Blassingale, who also had 38 points in a losing effort.
The University of Scranton men's basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 4, as they take on York (Pa.) inside the John Long Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
--ROYALS--