BETHLEHEM, Pa.—Senior guard Zach Ashworth (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) scored 13 of his game-high 24 points in the second half as The University of Scranton broke away from a one-point halftime lead en route to a 62-43 victory over Moravian College in the Landmark Conference opener for both teams Saturday at Johnston Hall.
Sophomore guard Travis Farrell (Middletown, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) finished with 12 points and senior guard Luke Hawk (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) had eight points and six rebounds as the Royals snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference. Moravian, which fell to 2-4 overall and 0-1 in the Landmark, was paced by senior center Chris Cullen (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip) with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Royals led by only three, 334-31, with 11:07 before sophomore guard Tim Lavelle (Clarks Green, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) ignited a 15-0 run with a 3-pointer to break the game open during a five-minute span. Defensively, Scranton came up with four steals during the game-breaking run.
The wheels came off for Moravian after trailing just 24-23 at intermission. The Greyhounds made just five of 22 field goal attempts (22.7 percent) and were guilty of 16 turnovers in the final 30 minutes of play. For the game, Moravian turned the ball over 26 times, which the Royals converted into 31 points.
Ashworth connected on 8 of 14 shots from the field to finish with a season-high in points and had seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 34 minutes of action. Scranton, which shot a respectable 42 percent from the field and nearly 87 percent from the free throw line, also received eight points and four rebounds from junior forward Matt Swaback (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) and five points and five rebounds from freshman guard Tommy Morgan (Greenlawn, N.Y./Chaminade), who made the first start of his career.
The Royals will return to action next Saturday, December 11, against Penn State-Hazleton in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, beginning at 4:00 p.m.
News & Notes: The Royals have won four straight and now hold a 54-27 lead since the all-time series with Moravian College began during the 1929-1930 season…Scranton is also 6-2 against the Greyhounds since the two schools became members of the Landmark Conference in 2007…Ashworth has now scored at least 20 points in four of five games this season and 28 times in his career…Scranton will play four of its next five games on the road or on a neutral site.
Newspaper Box Score
SCRANTON 62, MORAVIAN COLLEGE 43
SCRANTON (3-2/1-0 Landmark)
Zach Ashworth 8-14 4-4 24; Travis Farrell 3-6 6-6 12; Luke Hawk 3-8 1-2 8; Matt Swaback 3-7 2-3 8; Tommy Morgan 2-7 0-0 5; Tim Lavelle 1-4 0-0 3; Andrew Wynne 1-1 0-0 2; Edmond O'Connell 0-2 0-0 0; Dan Hilferty 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-50 13-15 62.
MORAVIAN (2-4/0-1 Landmark)
Chris Cullen 3-10 5-6 12; Blake English 3-10 3-4 9; D.J. Strayhorn 2-8 4-4 8; Kenny Gula 2-2 0-0 5; Jeff Cullinan 1-3 1-2 3; Garrett Johnson 1-6 0-0 2; Mark Koelbel 1-1 0-0 2; Shane Painter 1-2 0-0 2; Cameron Cullen 0-1 0-0 0; Ryan O'Donnell 0-3 0-0 0; Marcus Hardy 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 14-47 13-16 43.
Scranton.... 24 38 - 62
Moravian College.............. 23 20 - 43
3-point goals--The University of Scranton 7-19 (Zach Ashworth 4-7; Luke Hawk 1-3; Tim Lavelle 1-2; Tommy Morgan 1-3; Matt Swaback 0-2; Travis Farrell 0-2), Moravian College 2-12 (Chris Cullen 1-5; Kenny Gula 1-1; Jeff Cullinan 0-1; Garrett Johnson 0-2; Shane Painter 0-1; Cameron Cullen 0-1; Blake English 0-1). Fouled out--The University of Scranton-None, Moravian College-Blake English. Rebounds--The University of Scranton 33 (Zach Ashworth 7), Moravian College 31 (Chris Cullen 11). Assists--The University of Scranton 14 (Tommy Morgan 4), Moravian College 6 (Garrett Johnson 2; D.J. Strayhorn 2). Total fouls--The University of Scranton 15, Moravian College 18. Technical fouls--The University of Scranton-Zach Ashworth, Moravian
College-None. A-297