SCRANTON, Pa.—At this time of year, it's called survive and advance for a reason.
And no one understands that more than The University of Scranton after tonight's nail-biting 74-71 victory over the Merchant Marine Academy in a knock-down, drag-out affair in the semifinals of the Landmark Conference tournament at the Long Center.
Senior guard Luke Hawk (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) finished with a game-high 26 points, senior guard Zach Ashworth (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) chipped in 17 points and han nine rebounds, sophomore point-guard Travis Farrell (Middletown, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) tossed in 16 points, and sophomore guard Tim Lavelle (Clarks Green, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) contributed 11 as the Royals improved to 19-5 overall and advanced to the title game for the fourth straight year.
The Mariners, who overcame a six-point deficit with 49 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime, were led by senior guard Tom Izzo (Bridgeport, WVa.) and senior forward Matt Hueber (Alexandria, Va.) with 23 points apiece and senior forward Richard Roach (Monticello, Ind.) had 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Merchant Marine Academy stuck to its game plan of exploiting the Royals down low on offense and by frustrating Ashworth on the defensive end. They built up a commanding 54-28 advantage in points in the paint and converted 24 offensive rebounds into 20 points.
On the defensive end, Izzo and junior guard Kevin Kerr (Oakdale, N.Y.) made life miserable for Ashworth by pressure him into a 5-for-15 shooting effort and by getting him to turn the ball over 10 times.
Nevertheless, the Royals appeared to be in the driver's seat when Farrell hit a perimeter jump shot and Hawk followed with a lay-up to give Scranton a 66-59 lead with 49 seconds remaining.
Scranton then nearly gave it away.
On the next possession, Heuber drew a foul, hit one of two free throws, and followed with a lay-up off a rebound on his missed free throw to cut it to three, 65-62, before Ashworth missed the front end of a two-shot free throw situation and then committed a turnover on his second attempt. Roach followed with a lay-up to make it a one-point game with 19 seconds left before Lavelle hit one of two free throws to give Scranton a 66-64 lead.
In the closing seconds, Kerr missed a lay-up and the ball was knocked out of bounds with 1.8 seconds left. Izzo then lofted a lob pass from the baseline on an out-of-bounds play to Hueber who laid it in to send it into overtime.
The game was tied twice in overtime before Ashworth hit a shot at the top of the key to give the Royals a 73-71 lead. The Mariners then missed two free throws and forced Ashworth to turn it over in front of the Scranton bench with 21 seconds remaining. USMMA freshman guard Jeffrey Mark (Elmont, N.Y) missed a 3-pointer and after a turnover by Izzo off the rebound, Farrell had an opportunity to put it away with seven seconds left.
Farrell, however, hit one of two free throws to keep it a one-possession game. Kerr and Izzo both had makeable 3-pointers on the Mariners' final possession, but neither was able to connect.
Scranton entered the game shooting nearly 72 percent from the free throw line, but survived despite shooting only 15 of 27 from the charity stripe (55.6 percent).
The Royals will host Catholic University, which defeated Drew University, 71-58, in Madison, New Jersey, this evening. The starting time for Saturday's Landmark Conference championship game will be announced Thursday.
News & Notes: Scranton avenged last year's 68-54 loss to the Mariners in the championship game of the Landmark Conference tournament…the Royals swept the regular-season series with Catholic University this year, winning 78-68 in Washington, DC, on January 21 and 79-64 at the Long Center on February 5…Ashworth's 17 points tonight moved him into fourth place on the Royals' all-time scoring list with 1,736 points, moving ahead of Derek Elphick (1728, 1999-2003) and current King's College head coach J.P. Andrejko (1731, 1984-1988).
Newspaper Box Score
SCRANTON 74, MERCHANT MARINE ACAD 71
MERCHANT MARINE ACAD (14-12)
Matt Hueber 11-22 1-2 23; Tom Izzo 9-19 5-6 23; Richard Roach 4-10 3-6 11; Jeffrey Mark 3-8 0-0 7; Reed Buck 1-5 0-2 3; Zach Karczewski 1-1 0-0 2; Kevin Kerr 1-8 0-0 2; Nick Sergio 0-0 0-0 0; Denver Effland 0-1 0-2 0; Frankie Wiseley 0-0 0-0 0; Michael Farace 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-74 9-18 71.
SCRANTON (19-5)
Luke Hawk 11-15 4-5 26; Zach Ashworth 5-15 5-8 17; Travis Farrell 5-10 3-6 16; Tim Lavelle 5-9 1-2 11; Edmond O'Connell 1-2 0-2 2; Matt Swaback 0-1 2-4 2; Andrew Wynne 0-1 0-0 0; Dan Hilferty 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 27-55 15-27 74.
Merchant Marine Acad.......... 30 36 5 - 71
The University of Scranton.... 34 32 8 - 74
3-point goals--Merchant Marine Acad 2-12 (Jeffrey Mark 1-3; Reed Buck 1-3; Kevin Kerr 0-3; Tom Izzo 0-3), The University of Scranton 5-16 (Travis Farrell 3-6; Zach Ashworth 2-6; Matt Swaback 0-1; Dan Hilferty 0-2; Tim Lavelle 0-1). Fouled out--Merchant Marine Acad-Richard Roach, The University of Scranton-None. Rebounds--Merchant Marine Acad 44 (Richard Roach 11), The University of Scranton 35 (Zach Ashworth 9). Assists--Merchant Marine Acad 16 (Tom Izzo 7), The University of Scranton 19 (Travis Farrell 4; Matt Swaback 4; Tim Lavelle 4). Total fouls--Merchant Marine Acad 23, The University of Scranton 14. Technical fouls--Merchant Marine Acad-None, The University of Scranton-None. A-500