As the men's basketball game between The University of Scranton and Keystone College wound down on Saturday night, it started to feel like one of those games when whoever has the ball last winds up winning. Unfortunately for the Royals, it was Keystone who had the ball at the end of overtime.

The Giants (5-5) scored on a layup with 3.3 seconds remaining in overtime to rally from a six-point deficit to hand the Royals a 94-93 defeat in the Long Center. The loss was the second straight for the Royals (6-2) in what was the first matchup between the schools since 1926.

Scranton overcame a six-point deficit with less than four minutes left in regulation. Freshman forward Brendan Boken (South Pasadena, Calif./Loyola) scored the tying bucket with 18 seconds left and the Royals forced an off-balance shot by the Giants at the buzzer.

The Royals then scored the first six points of overtime on two buckets by junior guard Tommy Morgan (Greenlawn, N.Y./Chaminade) and a layup by Boken. The lead was still five with 1:49 left when Keystone buried back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 92-91 lead with 57 seconds remaining in overtime.

Boken got free again underneath to put Scranton ahead, 93-92, with 35 seconds left. The Giants called timeout with 28 seconds left, then held the ball til the clock ran under 10 seconds before sophomore forward Duncan Lunsford (Marietta, Ga./Sprayberry) got free underneath for a layup with 3.3 seconds left. The Royals raced upcourt, but a 35-foot heave at the buzzer was well off the mark.

Boken finished with a career-high 24 points, 18 of which came after halftime, to go along with 11 rebounds. Morgan added 18 points, five rebounds and five assists, and sophomore guard Ross Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights/Blair Academy, N.J.) finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. The Royals also got 13 points from junior guard Michael Barr (North Wales, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) and 11 points and six assists from senior guard Tim Lavelle (Clarks Green, Pa./Scranton Preparatory).

Scranton, which trailed 44-43 at halftime, shot 51.4 percent (38-for-74) from the field, but connected on just seven of 26 3-point attempts (26.9 percent). The Royals won the battle of the boards, 41-35, and committed 15 turnovers.

Keystone got a game-high 27 points, including six 3-pointers, from sophomore guard Miles Dargon (Orlando, Fla./Wekiva) and 25 points from senior guard Greg Westry (Delray, Fla./Boca Raton). The Giants shot 47.8 percent (33-for-69) while connecting on 11 of 31 3-pointers (35.5 percent). They also canned 17 of 20 (85 percent) from the free throw line, including four of five in overtime, while committing 13 turnovers.

The Royals have a quick turnaround as they host the PNC Bank Royal Rumble on Monday, Dec. 17, and Tuesday, Dec. 18. The opening-round games pit Alvernia against Gwynedd Mercey on Monday at 6 p.m., followed by the Royals against St. Joseph's (Long Island) at 8. Tuesday's third-place game starts at 4, followed by the championship at 6. 

--ROYALS--