HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Road victories have been tough to come by in recent years in Landmark Conference men's basketball play. Even with the revamped schedule that no longer includes games on back-to-back days this season, a win away from home figures to be something to cherish. On Saturday at Juniata, The University of Scranton earned a victory to hang its hat on.
The Royals overcame an early 10-point deficit by putting the clamps on the host team en route to a 62-54 win in the Kennedy Sports & Recreation Center. Junior guards Michael Barr (North Wales, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) and Tommy Morgan (Greenlawn, N.Y./Chaminade), and sophomore guard Ross Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights/Blair Academy, N.J.) each had a team-high 11 points.
Scranton (10-3, 2-1 Landmark) fell behind by 10 midway through the first half and still trailed by that margin, 23-13, with 8:25 to play. But the Royals tightened up on the defensive end, holding the Eagles (8-5, 0-2 Landmark) scoreless for the next 7:33 while finishing the half on a 19-3 run to take a 32-26 lead into the break.
Barr and senior guards Tim Lavelle (Clarks Green, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) and Travis Farrell (Middletown, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy), who finished with eight points and five assists, each had six points as the Royals shot 48 percent (12-for-25) and committed just five turnovers in the opening half.
The Royals pushed the lead to 38-28 when Barr and Danzig hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second half. The lead grew to as big as 12 on two occasions, but Juniata whittled it to three at 46-43 midway through the half. But an 8-1 run that included a 3-pointer by sophomore forward Kyle Ranck (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg) pushed the lead back to 10 and the Eagles got no closer than seven the rest of the way.
The victory snapped the Royals' three-game losing streak at Juniata. They hadn't won in Huntingdon since a 74-60 victory on Jan. 30, 2009. In the previous five seasons of Landmark Conference play, Scranton went 21-14 in regular season road games while winning 32 of 35 home conference games.
Scranton shot 42.3 percent (22-for-52) for the game, including 10-for-25 from 3-point range. The Royals also connected on eight of 15 free throws while committing just 12 turnovers. Freshman forward Brendan Boken (South Pasadena, Calif./Loyola) had a team-high seven rebounds, but the Royals lost the rebounding battle, 37-30.
Juniata was led by 16 points from junior forward Brian Scholly (State College, Pa./State College). The Eagles shot just 33.3 percent (19-for-57), including 8-for-30 in the second half. They connected on 13 of 17 free throws while committing just nine turnovers.
Scranton returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 13, when it travels to Kings Point, N.Y. to face Merchant Marine Academy at 7 p.m. The Mariners handed the Royals a 67-54 defeat on Sunday, Dec. 9, in the Long Center.
--ROYALS--