WASHINGTON, D.C. – The University of Scranton used a strong fourth quarter on Saturday afternoon to break open a tight contest at Catholic, opening a four-game road trip with a 62-50 victory over the Cardinals in Landmark Conference women's basketball action.
Leading by a point at the end of three quarters of play, the #17 Lady Royals (16-1, 5-1 Landmark) opened the fourth period with a 10-0 run and outscored Catholic (12-5, 3-3 Landmark) 21-10 in the final stanza to secure their 11th consecutive win.
Scranton built an 11-5 advantage midway through the first quarter of Saturday's contest and held a 16-14 edge at the end of the opening period, but Catholic opened the second stanza with a three-pointer to take the lead.
The two teams traded baskets before the Lady Royals used a quick, 8-0 burst capped by a pair of treys from Emily Sheehan (Dunmore, Pa./Dunmore) to claim a 26-20 advantage.
The Cardinals countered with an 8-2 push to pull within a point late in the period, but Makenzie Mason (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) knocked down a jumper with 12 seconds remaining to give Scranton a 31-28 edge at the break.
Catholic reeled off six straight points to take a 40-37 lead with 1:48 remaining in the third quarter, but the Lady Royals tallied the final four points of the period to take a 41-40 advantage into the final 10 minutes of regulation after Katie Broderick (New Fairfield, Conn./New Fairfield) hit a field goal with 37 ticks left on the clock.
Scranton broke the game open with a 10-0 run over the first 4:15 of the fourth quarter, led by seven points from Sofia Recupero (Whitestone, N.Y./St. Francis Prep), to open up a 51-40 advantage with 5:45 remaining.
Catholic would cut its deficit to seven points before the Lady Royals put the game out of reach with the next points to give the visitors a 60-46 cushion with just under two minutes left.
Mason led Scranton with a double-double on game-highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds while also leading all players with four assists. Broderick finished with 11 points while Recupero and Bridgette Mann (Canadensis, Pa./Wallenpaupack) netted 10 points apiece for the Lady Royals.
The visitors shot 45.7 percent from the field for the game including a 38.1 percent showing from three-point range while going 60 percent from the free throw line.
The Lady Royals were able to overcome 21 turnovers by holding Catholic to just a 25.8 percent shooting day from the floor and limiting the Cardinals to just three made three-pointers on 17 attempts.
Scranton returns to the hardwood on Wednesday evening with a Landmark Conference matchup at Drew University starting at 7:00 p.m. in Madison, New Jersey.