The University of Scranton men's basketball team has been lighting it up offensively this season, averaging 85.1 points per game through its first seven games. The Royals took that production to another level on Monday, reaching the century mark of the first time in nearly 12 years in a 106-75 rout of Manhattanville in the Long Center.
Scranton, now a perfect 8-0 on the season, held a 54-47 advantage at the end of a high-scoring first half in Monday's non-conference game against the Valiants (4-6) before dominating the second half, outscoring the visitors 52-28 in the final 20 minutes of the contest.
The Royals reached triple-figures for the first time since defeating Pratt on January 6, 2007, 104-46. Monday's victory marked the 53rd time in the program's 102-year history that Scranton scored at least 100 points and the Royals' 106 points were the most scored since a 110-83 win over Upsala on February 11, 1995.
Scranton, which is enjoying its longest season-opening win streak since the 1991-92 Royals won their first 20 games, enjoyed one of its strongest shooting efforts in recent history, making 65.5 percent of its field goal attempts including a 61.5 percent effort from three-point range. Scranton's field goal percentage tied for the ninth-best single-game mark in school history while the team's three-point percentage was also ninth best.
For the fourth time this season, Scranton placed five players in double-figures led by junior Matthew Mancuso (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan), who logged game-highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds to record his fourth straight double-double and sixth of the year.
Sophomore Logan Bailey (Scranton, Pa./Scranton Prep) added 17 points and three steals, junior Kyle DeVerna (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) added 16 points, a career-high nine rebounds, six assists, and three steals, freshman Jackson Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights) totaled 14 points and six assists, while freshman Jack Brockett (Shamong, N.J./Seneca) did not miss a shot, going 3-for-3 from the field, all from beyond the arc, and 2-for-2 from the free throw line, to contribute 11 points.
Scranton built a 23-16 lead over the first 9:13 of Monday's contest while Manhattanville pushed back to within two points on five occasions, the last of which made it a 41-39 ballgame with three and a half minutes remaining in the opening stanza.
The Royals countered with an 11-4 surge over the next two-plus minutes and would take the seven-point (54-47) advantage into the locker room after Danzig knocked down a pair of free throws to close out the scoring in a fast-paced, offensive-minded period.
Scranton wasted little time in taking over the game for good in the second half, opening the period with a 22-5 run over the first six-plus minutes of the frame to build a 24-point cushion, 76-52, with 13:47 remaining. The host's lead swelled to 30 points midway through the period and was as big as 35 points in what became a dominant half for Scranton.
The Royals, who also received career-highs of eight points and six rebounds from sophomore Nolan Genasevich (Sugarloaf, Pa./Home School), dominated the inside game against the Valiants, outscoring the visitors 54-24 in the paint while holding a 42-26 advantage in rebounding.
The hosts also had a 25-14 advantage in points off of turnovers and were solid at the free throw line, converting 22-of-27 (81.5 percent) of their attempts from the stripe on the afternoon.
Scranton will host TCNJ on Thursday in a non-conference game starting at 3 p.m. in the Long Center.