Less than 24 hours after setting a career high, sophomore forward Meredith Mesaris (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax) had another big offensive night to help the University of Scranton women's basketball team post a 57-53 victory over Cabrini College on Tuesday evening in the Long Center.
Mesaris scored 26 points and pulled down five rebounds just one day after scoring a career-high 33 in a victory at Marywood. Senior forward Erin Boggan (Danbury, Conn./Danbury) posted her fifth straight game in double figures with 11 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists and a block as the Lady Royals improved to 5-0 for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
Scranton led the entire game except for when it was tied twice – first in the opening 34 seconds and again during a span of 24 seconds midway through the second half. Despite holding the advantage most of the night, the Lady Royals' lead was never larger than nine, and it only reached that margin once when it was 16-7 with 8:09 to play in the first half.
Scranton went into halftime leading, 25-19, after holding the Cavaliers to just 7-for-31 (22.6 percent) from the field. But they stayed close in the second half by hitting four of seven 3-pointers and forcing 12 second-half turnovers by Scranton.
But a 7-2 run by Scranton over a span of just less than three minutes late in the second half gave Scranton some breathing room. With Cabrini (2-2) still nipping at their heels in the closing minutes, the Lady Royals held off the Cavaliers by sinking five of six free throws in the final 43 seconds to seal the victory.
Scranton also received a strong floor game from senior guard Christina Hiltunen (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney), who finished with seven points, six rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists. Junior guard Alison Sweeney (Wall, N.J./Saint Rose) finished with six points, five rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal, and sophomore guard Lindsay Fluehr (Bensalem, Pa./Nazareth Academy) had a team-high eight rebounds to go along with three assists and a steal.
In her last two games, Mesaris is averaging 29.5 points per game. On the season, she's averaging 22 points per game while Boggan is adding 15.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest. Both have scored in double figures in all five games.
The Lady Royals continued their strong play on the defensive end, holding Cabrini to just 31.1 percent (19-for-61) from the field. Scranton shot 40.8 percent (20-for-49) from the field, including 10-for-20 in the second half. Scranton is now 10-0 all-time against Cabrini, which is coached by former Lady Royals standout Kate (Pierangeli) Pearson.
The Cavaliers held a 40-37 edge in rebounding and forced Scranton into 22 turnovers against just 18 of their own. Junior guard Brittany Sandone (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) led Cabrini with 19 points, including 5-for-9 shooting from 3-point range.
--LADY ROYALS--