Royals Hold On To Defeat Randolph-Macon, 78-76, In Radisson Title Game Saturday At Long Center; Danzig Named MVP

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SCRANTON, Pa.—Junior guard Ross Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights/Blair Academy-NJ) shook off early foul trouble to lead The University of Scranton to a nerve-wracking 78-76 victory over Randolph-Macon College in the championship game of the 12th annual Radisson Invitational Saturday at the Long Center.

Despite picking up three first-half fouls, Danzig finished with 23 points and six rebounds to lead the Royals to their fourth consecutive Radisson title and sixth overall.  Scranton, now 2-0, also received 17 points and 10 rebounds and a key block in the closing minutes from all-tournament selection and sophomore forward Brendan Boken (So. Pasadena, Calif./Loyola) and 12 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists from senior guard Tommy Morgan.

Randolph-Macon, coming off a 2013 season that included an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, was led by junior guard Connor Sullivan (Charlotte, NC/Providence Day School) with 16 points, junior guard Marcus Badger (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh) added 15 points and five assists, senior forward Andre Simon (Newport News, Pa./Menchville) had 13 points and eight rebounds, and junior forward Akeem Holmes (King William, Va./King William).

The Royals got another solid performance off the bench from junior guard Justin Klingman (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights), who tied his career with nine points, including a clutch jump shot with 2:04 remaining that gave Scranton a 74-72 lead.

After Simon tied it up moments later with a layup, Danzig put Scranton ahead for good with a 3-pointer, but the Royals failed to capitalize at the free throw line, missing three of four free throws in the final 21 seconds of play that nearly cost them dearly.

The Yellowjackets missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer with four seconds left and still got off a good look—a 15-footer in the lane as the buzzer sounded—after Scranton missed two free throws on their previous possession.

Randolph Macon took advantage of its athleticism to attack the basket, finishing 32 points in the paint.  The Yellowjackets shot a respectable 45.2 percent from the field and, like Scranton, struggled at times at the free throw line, finishing at 64 percent (16 of 25).

Scranton countered the Yellowjackets' athleticism by pushing the ball inside, which resulted in the Royals shooting 64 percent from the field in the first half.    It turned into a possession-by-possession game in the second half, with neither team building up a lead of more than four points.

The Royals will return to action on Tuesday, November 19, against Misericordia University beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Long Center.