The University of Scranton women's basketball team took a double-digit lead at halftime, then used an impressive second-half defensive effort to defeat Susquehanna, 77-38, on Thursday night in the Long Center. The victory keeps the Lady Royals in sole possession of first place in the Landmark Conference.

Senior Meredith Mesaris (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax) and junior guard Noelle Alicea (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) had 14 points each and sophomore Alexix Roman (Hawley, Pa./Wallenpaupack) had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The victory keeps Scranton (13-1, 5-0 Landmark) atop the conference standings, a game ahead of Catholic (10-4, 4-1).

Scranton took a 40-25 lead at halftime as Mesaris scored all 14 of her points in the opening 20 minutes. The Lady Royals then held Susquehanna to just three points over the first 16:34 of the second half – a 33-3 run – to turn the game into a rout.

Senior guard Lindsay Fluehr (Bensalem, Pa./Nazareth Academy) finished with seven points, eight assists, four steals and three assists for the Lady Royals, who are ranked seventh in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25. Junior guard Jaclyn Gantz (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) added nine points, sophomore forward Sarah Payonk (Schwenksville, Pa./Spring-Ford) had six points and nine rebounds, and senior guard Lia DiSciascio (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) added six points.

Scranton finished the game 28-for-60 (46.7 percent) from the field, including 5-for-20 from 3-point range, as well as 16-for-22 (72.7 percent) from the free throw line. The Lady Royals held a 49-25 edge in rebounding as Alicea had a career-high seven boards.

Susquehanna (9-3, 3-1 Landmark) was led by freshman forward Courtney Adams (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West), who had nine points and two blocks. The Crusaders finished 15-for-50 (30 percent) from the field, 2-for-15 from 3-point range and 6-for-15 from the free throw line.

The Lady Royals are back in action on Saturday when they host Goucher at 2 p.m. in the Long Center.

--LADY ROYALS--