SCRANTON, Pa. (12/7/11) – The Kean University men's basketball team placed three players in double figures, however The University of Scranton defeated the Cougars, 57-47, in non-conference action on Wednesday evening.
Guards Michael Burton and Branly Cadet each scored 12 points for the Cougars (2-5), while Matt Swaback and Travis Farrell led the Royals (4-2) with 15 points.
Scranton led from start to finish, scoring the first eight points of the game, before a three-pointer by Ryan Duffy pulled Kean to within 15-14 halfway through the first half. An 11-2 run extended the Royal lead to 10 points and the Scranton would lead by nine points at 29-20, before a Cadet three-pointer capped a 5-0 run to close the half for the Cougars.
Cadet hit all three of his shots from the floor, including two from behind the arc, to lead Kean with eight first-half points. Farrell had eight points for Scranton.
In the second half, the Royals scored the first five points of the half on free throws to extend the lead back to nine points. After a lay-up by sophomore Xavier Fuller halted the run for the Cougars, Scranton extended the lead back to double-digits with seven straight points for the 41-27 lead with 11:17 remaining.
Burton scored the game's next five points and a Cadet free throw pulled Kean to within eight points, however Scranton would extend the lead to as many as 16 points at 54-38 with just under five minutes to go. Burton would cap a 9-0 run with a three-pointer with 2:32 remaining, however that would be as close as Kean could get, as Swaback made a pair of free throws in the final minute to seal the 10-point win.
Cadet scored 12 points off the bench for Kean, while senior Leigh Keenan added 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Farrell added eight points and four steals in the win.
Kean travels to Stevens Institute of Technology for a non-conference game on Saturday, December 10, at 2 p.m.