CHESTER, Pa. – Senior forward Drew Schankweiler (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) had 23 points and 12 rebounds, but The University of Scranton men's basketball team couldn't slow Widener in the second half in an 82-75 loss to the Pride in the Schwartz Center on Tuesday night.
Schankweiler's double-double led four Royals in double figures in scoring and his 23 points were a career high. But Widener (2-1) shot 66.7 percent (16-for-24) from the field in the second half to wipe out a 37-34 Scranton lead at halftime. The Pride also shot 27 second-half free throws, making 14, while the Royals were just 2-for-6 from the line in the second half.
Scranton (1-2) also received 15 points from sophomore guard Kyle DeVerna (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) and 13 each from senior guards Kevin Doolan (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) and Ethan Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights). Doolan finished with six rebounds and two assists while Danzig added four boards.
The Royals raced out to a 20-11 lead nine minutes into the contest, but Widener slowly crept back into the game by halftime. Scranton still led by five, 48-43, at the 14:53 mark of the second half after Danzig buried a 3-pointer. But the Pride went on a 15-2 run to take a 58-50 lead with 10:40 left, and the Royals didn't get closer than five the rest of the way.
Scranton shot 50.9 percent (28-for-55) from the field, including 8-for-21 (38.1 percent) from beyond the arc. The Royals hit 11 of 19 free throw attempts (57.9 percent) and committed just 12 turnovers.
Widener finished the night shooting 53.6 percent (30-for-56) from the field, which included only 3 of 17 (17.6 percent) from 3-point range. Inside the arc, the Pride was 27-for-39 (69.2 percent). Widener won the rebounding battle, 36-30, and committed just six turnovers.
The men's basketball team will be back in action on Saturday, Nov. 25, when the Royals host the Cross-County Challenge in the Long Center. Marywood faces Wilkes at 1 p.m., followed by King's against Scranton at 3 p.m.
--ROYALS--