ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. - Senior guard Bridgette Mann (Canadensis, Pa./Wallenpaupack) once again led the offense, scoring a game-high 26 points, as The University of Scranton women's basketball team held host Elizabethtown to just 23 percent shooting from the floor on the day in a convincing 66-53 Landmark Conference victory on Saturday.
With the win, the Lady Royals (ranked sixth by D3Hoops.com and seventh by the WBCA), remained unbeaten on the year at 13-0 overall and 2-0 in the Landmark Conference. Elizabethtown fell to 7-5 and 0-2 in the Landmark with the defeat.
In a game in which Scranton never trailed and was tied on just two occasions, the game was tight in the first quarter, as a late three by the Blue Jays tied up play at 9-9. Scranton, however, ended the frame strong, as Mann nailed a jumper in the lane with one second left to give the Lady Royals an 11-9 edge entering the second.
The second frame saw Scranton take control of play, as they went on to outscore E-Town by a wide margin (20-9).
Up by only two entering the second quarter, Scranton began play with an 8-0 charge to take their first double-digit lead of the day at 19-9 with 7:18 left in the first half. After allowing a three-point play, the Lady Royals then went on another scoring run, as a 10-0 spurt put Scranton up, 29-12 with 4:29 to go in the quarter.
The 17-point deficit was far too much for the Blue Jays to come back from the rest of the half, as the Lady Royals rolled into the locker room holding a 31-18 lead after allowing the host Blue Jays to shoot just 19.4 percent from the floor in the first two quarters.
Up by 13 entering the second half, the Lady Royals put E-Town away to start the third quarter, as an 8-0 run to open the frame extended the lead out to 21 points (39-18) with 6:15 to go in the frame. The 21-point deficit proved to be insurmountable for Elizabethtown to come back from, as the game headed into the fourth quarter with Scranton up, 46-30.
In the fourth, the closest E-Town came to the Scranton lead was 12 points (on two separate occasions), as the Lady Royals coasted down the stretch to take their ninth straight win by double-figures, and the 12th such win of the season.
Overall, Mann was dominant in the win, as she went over the 20-point mark in a game for the second time in the last three outings for the Lady Royals with her 26-point performance. Mann, who shot 11-of-15 from the floor in the win, also pulled down eight rebounds, as well.
Elsewhere for Scranton, junior guard Makenzie Mason (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) finished with her fourth double-double of the year, ending with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. The last double-digit scorer on the day for the Lady Royals was junior guard Emily Sheehan (Dunmore, Pa./Dunmore), who finished with 12 points.
Offensively, Scranton had a solid day shooting, finishing at 51.9 percent from the floor in the win. Meanwhile, the Lady Royals defense was impressive all afternoon, as they blocked eight shots and held the host Blue Jays to 23 percent shooting on the day (14-of-61).
The University of Scranton women's basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, as they host Moravian in a home Landmark Conference match-up inside the John Long Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
--LADY ROYALS--