MADISON, N.J. – Freshmen Meredith Mesaris (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax) and Lindsay Fluehr (Bensalem, Pa./Nazareth Academy) played like seasoned veterans to lead The University of Scranton women's basketball team to an important 60-56 on the road over Drew University on Saturday afternoon.
The 6-foot-1 Mesaris scored a game-high 25 points and Fluehr, who plays both guard spots, scored all eight of her points in the second half, including a pair of free throws with three seconds left that sealed the victory. The win improves the Lady Royals to 15-9 overall and 10-3 in the Landmark Conference. They remain tied with Catholic for second place and the chance to host a semifinal playoff game.
Junior forward Erin Boggan (Danbury, Conn./Danbury) added eight points and nine rebounds for Scranton, which outrebounded Drew, 40-35. Senior guard Sidney Jaques (Rosemont, N.J./Hunterdon Central) had a solid game with five points and six assists and Mesaris also had five steals in the win.
Scranton led at halftime, 29-25, but Drew came out of the locker room on a roll and took a five-point lead early in the second half. But Fluehr had back-to-back baskets to spark a 13-3 run that gave the Lady Royals a 50-45 lead with 7:57 to play.
The Lady Royals were seemingly in control with a four-point lead and 39 seconds to play, but a missed free throw led to two made free throws for Drew with five seconds to play. After a Scranton timeout, Fluehr took the inbounds pass and was immediately fouled. She calmly sank two free throws to put the game away and keep Scranton in the hunt for a home playoff game.
Drew was led by senior guard Danielle Barber (Cape May Court House, N.J./Middle Township), who scored 17 points to go along with five assists and four steals. Senior forward Victoria Ault (Middletown, N.J./Mater Dei) added 13 points and nine rebounds, and junior guard Jen Mateo (Union City, N.J./Union City) added 10 points. Barber and Mateo both played all 40 minutes.
Scranton returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 18, when it travels to Bethlehem to face Moravian at 2 p.m. A win and a Catholic loss at Goucher would give the Lady Royals the No. 2 seed and a home game in the Landmark Conference semifinals. A win or loss by both teams would send Scranton and Catholic into a tiebreaker scenario for the No. 2 seed.
--ROYALS--