Facing an eight-point halftime deficit against a hot-shooting opponent, The University of Scranton men's basketball team responded the only way it knows how.
The Royals scored the first 10 points of the second half, then made eight of 10 free throws in the final two minutes to hold off Susquehanna University, 77-73, in the Long Center on Saturday afternoon. The victory keeps the Royals (18-3, 8-2 Landmark) in a first-place tie with Catholic, which defeated Drew, 67-60, on Saturday.
Four players scored in double figures for Scranton, led by sophomore forward Brendan Boken (South Pasadena, Calif./Loyola), who had 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. Senior guard Tommy Morgan (Greenlawn, N.Y./Chaminade) had 17 points, six rebounds and four assists, senior guard Michael Barr (North Wales, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) had 15 points on five 3-pointers, and junior guard Justin Klingman (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) added 10 points.
Susquehanna opened up a 44-36 lead at halftime by going 20-for-31 (64.5 percent) from the field, including four of eight from 3-point range. All 32 of the Crusaders' points inside the 3-point line came in the paint, as they held a 32-26 advantage in first-half points in the paint.
Scranton wasn't far behind in shooting percentage, going 17-for-29 (58.6 percent) from the field in the first half. But the Royals made just two of seven from beyond the arc, didn't shoot a single free throw and were outrebounded, 15-10.
Whatever head coach Carl Danzig said at halftime, it had quite an effect, as Scranton scored the first 10 points of the second half, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Barr and Klingman, to take a 46-44 lead with 15:31 to play.
Neither team led by more than two and the game was tied six times until Barr broke a 60-60 tie with his fourth 3-pointer of the game at the 5:50 mark. The Royals didn't trail the rest of the way, but it wasn't easy. Two free throws by Boken moments later pushed the lead to five, but Susquehanna cut the lead two one on two occasions over the next three minutes, including the second time on a dunk by senior center Harley Sellinger (Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain).
Scranton then finished the game by outscoring Susquehanna, 8-5, over the final two minutes, with all eight points coming at the free throw line. Morgan hit a pair to push the lead back to three, and sophomore forward Marcus Thomas (Clarksburg, Md./Clarksburg) made three of four over the final 58 seconds, including a pair with seven seconds remaining to seal the victory.
The Royals shot 50 percent (11-for-22) from the field in the second half, including a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range. They also made 15 of 18 free throws (83.3 percent) while out-rebounding the Crusaders, 19-10. Boken had 10 second-half points while Barr and Morgan had nine apiece.
On the defensive end, the Royals held Susquehanna to 42.3 percent (11-for-26) in the second half, including just one of nine from 3-point range.
Thomas finished the game with five points, three rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes off the bench, and freshman guard Sean Cummings (Millstone Township, N.J./St. Peter's Prep) had four points and three rebounds in eight minutes. The Royals also received two points and four rebounds in seven minutes from junior forward Jason Pierce (Scranton, Pa./Conestoga/Lackawanna College).
Scranton shot 28-for-51 (54.9 percent) for the game, including 6-for-11 from 3-point range. They committed just 12 turnovers.
Susquehanna was led by Sellinger, who had 24 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Senior guard Jake Eskin (Germantown, Md./Churchill) added 21 points and six assists. The Crusaders finished 31-for-57 (54.4 percent), including 5-for-17 from 3-point range. They committed 13 turnovers.
Scranton will be back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 12, when they host Drew University in a Landmark Conference game at 7 p.m.
--ROYALS--