The University of Scranton women's basketball opened the NCAA Tournament with a 68-48 victory over Keuka in first round action on Friday night in the Long Center. The #10 Lady Royals (27-1) will take on Cabrini (26-2), who defeated Brooklyn in Friday's opening game, 65-52, on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. with a bid Sweet 16 on the line.
Scranton's 22nd consecutive victory propels the Lady Royals into the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row and for the fourth time in the last five years.
Katie Feehery (Media, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) and Bridgette Mann (Canadensis, Pa./Wallenpaupack) netted 14 points apiece to lead Scranton while Makenzie Mason (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) posted a double-double on 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with five rebounds, which also tied for a game-best.
Mann, who went 4-6 from three-point range, moved into a tie for second place for career three-pointers and needs three more treys to break the all-time record set by current Cabrini head coach Kate (Pierangeli) Pearson of 181 from 2000-2004.
Keuka (21-6) netted four of the game's first six points on Saturday night before Scranton used a 25-5 surge over a span of 10:28 of game time to claim a 27-9 advantage with 7:51 remaining in the second quarter after holding a 20-7 lead at the end of the opening period.
The Wolves used an 8-0 run to pull to within 10 points at the 5:43 mark, but the Lady Royals maintained the double-figure lead and took a 37-23 lead into halftime after Feehery scoring on a layup at the buzzer.
After Keuka opened the third quarter with a three-pointer, Scranton used a 14-4 push to build a 51-30 lead with 3:20 left in the frame. The Lady Royals extended their lead to a game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter before closing out the 20-point victory.
Scranton forced Keuka into 22 turnovers to hold a 28-8 advantage in points off of turnovers while also getting 27 points off the bench to just 15 for the Wolves, led by Feehery's 14 points and nine from Ava Gammo (East Hanover, N.J./Hanover Park).
Katie Broderick (New Fairfield, Conn./New Fairfield) added eight points and four assists for the Lady Royals, who shot 46.4 percent from the field for the game, 45.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 66.7 percent from the free throw line.
Keuka was paced by Lauren Anten's 14 points while Abby Hess pulled down a team-leading eight caroms. Sam Laranjo matched a game-high with five assists for the Wolves, who connected on 38.8 percent of their attempts from the floor while going 33.3 percent from long distance and 63.6 percent from the charity stripe.
Scranton leads the all-time series with a Cabrini 13-2 including a 57-41 victory in Radnor on November 29. Since the loss to the Lady Royals, the Cavaliers have reeled off 24 straight victories.
Cabrini's last victory over the Scranton was a 37-35 triumph in the Long Center on December 18, 2014.