Following a tight first half that featured 14 lead changes, The University of Scranton outscored visiting Elizabethtown 43-27 over the final 20 minutes of play on Saturday to pull away with a 77-56 victory in a key Landmark Conference men's basketball matchup in the John Long Center.
The Royals avenged a 67-64 loss at Elizabethtown earlier this month to improve to 16-3 overall and 5-3 in conference play by holding the Blue Jays (9-9, 4-4 Landmark) to just eight points in the final 10 minutes of the contest
Scranton also enjoyed a strong, 54.5 percent shooting performance from the field including a 59.3 percent effort in the second half.
Junior Matthew Mancuso (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) powered the Royals with his conference-leading eighth double-double of the season which came on game-highs of 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Freshman Jackson Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights) finished the day with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists, sophomore Logan Bailey (Scranton, Pa./Scranton Prep) added 12 points and two steals, while junior Kyle DeVerna (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial).
Neither team was able to build a lead greater than four points over the first 15 minutes of Saturday's contest before Scranton used a 9-0 burst to claim a 32-25 lead with 2:33 remaining in the opening half. The hosts would take five-point advantage, 34-29, into halftime as the Blue Jays sandwiched a pair of field goals around a good jumper by Freshman Ben Bosland (Colts Neck, N.J./Colts Neck) in the final 1:50 of the stanza.
The Royals extended their lead to double-digits early in the second half on a three-pointer from Freshman Jack Brockett (Shamong, N.J./Seneca) and led by as many as 12 points before Elizabethtown trimmed its deficit to 56-48 at the midpoint of the second half.
Scranton answered with a 15-0 run over the next 5:10 to put the game out of reach, staking out a comfortable, 73-48 lead with 4:50 showing on the clock.
Bosland came off the bench to tally nine points while tying for a game-high with four assists. Brockett totaled eight points while senior Jack Connelly (Ellington, Conn./Ellington) tied for a game-high with two steals for the Royals.
Scranton dominated the inside game on Saturday, outscoring Elizabethtown 42-28 in the paint while holding a 38-25 advantage in rebounding.
The Royals held Blue Jays to just 37.5 percent shooting for the game.
Scranton return to the hardwood on Wednesday with another key Landmark Conference matchup at Susquehanna. Opening tipoff between the Royals and River Hawks is set for 7 p.m. in Selinsgrove, Pa.
--ROYALS--