SCRANTON, Pa.—The University of Scranton jump-started their season with an 81-53 victory over Arcadia University in the first round of the ninth annual Radisson Invitational Friday night at the Long Center.
The Royals were led by senior guard Zach Ashworth (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks South), who finished with 21 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the field, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range. Junior guard Dan Hilferty (Ardmore, Pa./Episcopal Academy) also contributed heavily on the offensive end, scoring a career-high 13 points by connecting on all six of his field goal attempts.
Senior guard Luke Hawk (Aububon, Pa./Methacton) also made his presence felt from all angles of the court, posting six points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. The Royals broke away from a 37-30 halftime lead by shooting 80 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (8 of 10) in the second half to finish 55 percent for the game (11 of 20). Scranton will now meet Centenary College, which defeated D'Youville, 69-56, in the other first-round game Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. in the Long Center for the championship.
Sophomore guard Jose Ortiz (Philadelphia, Pa./Math, Civic, and Science) was a bright spot for Arcadia on the evening, finishing with 15 points and six rebounds.
The Royals trailed the Knights until the waning minutes of the first half when junior forward Matt Swaback (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) knocked down a three-pointer to put the Royals ahead 31-30, paving the way for a 9-2 run that left the Royals up 37-30 at the half.
The second half was all Scranton, with the Royals outscoring the Knights 44-23.
News & Notes: The win was number 160 for veteran Scranton head coach Carl Danzig…Hilferty's previous career-high was an 8-point effort against Catholic University in the semifinals of the Landmark Conference tournament on February 24, 2010…The Royals have now won six straight and are 8-2 in season-openers under Danzig…tonight's game was the first meeting ever between the Royals and Arcadia University in men's basketball…Scranton has won two (2003, 2005) of the eight Radisson Invitational titles…tomorrow's game will be the first-ever meeting between the Royals and Centenary College in men's basketball.
Newspaper Box Score
THE UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON 81, ARCADIA 53
ARCADIA (1-2)
Jose Ortiz 7-12 1-2 15; Damian Palantino 2-10 3-4 9; Rhason Brock 2-4 2-6 6;Colin McCarthy 2-3 2-2 6; Jason Thompson 2-4 0-0 5; Darrell Mills 2-7 0-0 4; Chris Pearson 1-3 0-0 2; Aaron Benusis 0-1 2-2 2; Eric O'Hora 1-5 0-0 2;Lester Owens 0-2 2-4 2; Alexis Alfonso 0-0 0-0 0; Tyler Willis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-52 12-20 53.
THE UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON (1-0)
Zach Ashworth 7-12 2-2 21; Dan Hilferty 6-6 0-1 13; Travis Farrell 4-9 1-1 10; Matt Swaback 2-7 2-4 8; Tommy Morgan 3-6 1-2 7; Luke Hawk 3-9 0-2 6; Andrew Wynne 2-5 0-0 4; Michael Barr 1-1 0-0 3; Pat Mineo 1-1 0-0 3; RJ Wallace 1-3 0-0 2; Tim Lavelle 1-2 0-0 2; Edmund O'Connell 1-1 0-1 2; Mike Marchman 0-1 0-0 0; Matt FitzPatrick 0-4 0-0 0; Nick Jaskula 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-67 6-13 81.
Arcadia....................... 30 23 - 53
The University of Scranton.... 37 44 - 81
3-point goals--Arcadia 3-13 (Damian Palantino 2-8; Jason Thompson 1-2; Eric O'Hora 0-2; Tyler Willis 0-1), The University of Scranton 11-20 (Zach Ashworth 5-7; Matt Swaback 2-4; Pat Mineo 1-1; Michael Barr 1-1; Travis Farrell 1-1; Dan Hilferty 1-1; Tim Lavelle 0-1; RJ Wallace 0-1; Andrew Wynne 0-1; Luke Hawk 0-1; Tommy Morgan 0-1). Fouled out--Arcadia-None, The University of Scranton-None. Rebounds--Arcadia 31 (Jose Ortiz 6), The University of Scranton 46 (Luke Hawk 10). Assists--Arcadia 16 (Lester Owens 6), The University of Scranton 23 (Luke Hawk 6). Total fouls--Arcadia 15, The University of Scranton 18. Technical fouls--Arcadia-None, The University of Scranton-None. A-550