NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The University of Scranton men's basketball team stared down 11th-ranked Christopher Newport on its home court on Wednesday night, and it was the home team that blinked first as the Royals took control in the second half for a 65-58 victory in the championship game of the Captains Shootout.
Sophomore guard Kevin Doolan (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) earned tournament most valuable player honors after leading the way with 15 points and three assists. He canned three clutch free throws in the final 39 seconds as the Royals scored the final five points of the game.
Scranton (8-2) also got 13 points and four rebounds from sophomore guard Ethan Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights) and 10 points and seven rebounds from junior forward John Vitkus (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) in the victory.
The Royals trailed at halftime, 33-30, but took the lead midway through the second half with an 11-3 run for a 49-46 lead with 9:30 left. Senior forward Brendan Boken (South Pasadena, Calif./Loyola) scored four straight points to spark the run.
Scranton trailed just once the rest of the way, only by a single point, and it lasted only 21 seconds. After Christopher Newport (9-1) took a 54-53 lead with 4:34 to play, Danzig immediately buried a 3 to restore the Royals' edge. They would hold the Captains to just four points the rest of the way, despite both Vitkus and Boken fouling out in the closing minutes.
In the end, Scranton finished the game on a 9-2 run, the last five coming at the foul line to secure the win.
The Royals shot 52.5 percent (21-for-40) from the field, including 6-for-13 (46.2 percent) from 3-point range. Danzig and senior guard Marcus Thomas (Clarksburg, Md./Clarksburg) each had a pair of 3-pointers. Scranton also made 17 of 23 free throws (73.9 percent) while Christopher Newport was just 9-for-12 from the line.
The Captains finished the night shooting just 40.4 percent (21-for-52) from the field, including 7-for-25 (28 percent) from 3-point range.
Thomas finished the night with eight points, all in the first half. Boken also had eight points, his lowest scoring output of the season. He was named to the all-tournament team after scoring 25 points and pulling down 12 rebounds in Tuesday's win over Stevenson.
The Royals also got seven points from sophomore Mitch Cross (Marriottsville, Md./Loyola-Blakefield) in 13 minutes off the bench.
Scranton returns to Landmark Conference play on Saturday, Jan. 2, when the Royals host Elizabethtown at 2 p.m. in the Long Center.
--ROYALS--