Junior forward Erin Boggan (Danbury, Conn./Danbury) posted a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds and The University of Scranton women's basketball team placed four players in double figures in scoring in a 70-64 victory over Catholic University on Saturday afternoon in the John J. Long Center.
The Lady Royals also received 15 points, three rebounds and three assists off the bench from junior guard Christina Hiltunen (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney), and junior guard Katherine Torto (Binghamton, N.Y./Seton Central Catholic) had 11 points, five assists and four rebounds. Senior guard Sidney Jaques (Rosemont, N.J./Hunterdon Central) also had 11 points.
With the victory, Scranton improved to 8-6 overall and 3-0 in the Landmark Conference, putting the Lady Royals in first place.
Scranton trailed at halftime, 35-30, after Catholic closed the half on a 14-0 run. After the Lady Royals closed the gap early in the second half, the game settled into a back-and-forth tussle that saw neither team lead by more than three before freshman guard Lindsay Fluehr (Bensalem, Pa./Nazareth Academy) hit a pair of free throws to give Scranton a 53-49 lead with 6:02 to play.
Hiltunen then hit a pair of 3-pointers to help Scranton stretch the lead to eight, 64-56, with 1:41 to play. The second came from approximately 28 feet as the shot clock expired. Catholic never got closer than five the rest of the way.
The Lady Royals overcame 20 turnovers by holding the Cardinals to just 32.4 percent (22-for-68) from the field, including just 21.9 percent (seven of 32) in the second half. Scranton also enjoyed a 44-39 advantage in rebounding.
Scranton also remained hot from the 3-point arc, connecting on nine of 19 (47.4 percent) in the game. In two victories over the weekend, Scranton shot 20-for-40 from 3-point range.
The Lady Royals are now 18-2 all-time against Catholic, including 11-0 in the Long Center. Scranton is also 9-0 against Catholic since the two schools joined the Landmark Conference for the 2007-08 season.
Catholic dropped to 10-3 overall and 2-1 in the Landmark Conference. The Cardinals were led by a game-high 17 points from junior guard Jill Woerner (Providence, R.I./St. Mary's Bayview). Junior guard Rachel Ferri (Cranston, R.I./Cranston West) came off the bench to add 14 points.
Scranton returns to action Friday, Jan. 13, when it hosts Drew University in the John Long Center at 7:30 p.m.
--LADY ROYALS--