SCRANTON, Pa.—The University of Scranton shot nearly 59 percent from the field in the second half to break away from a two-point halftime lead en route to an 81-64 victory over Susquehanna University in the final game of a four-game Landmark Conference home stand Saturday afternoon at the Long Center.
Three-point shooting keyed Scranton's success. The Royals buried 7 of 11 attempts from beyond the arc in the second half (63.6 percent) to finished 10 of 17 for the game (58.8 percent), making it the fifth time this season that Scranton has made at least 10 3-pointers in a game.
Senior guard Zach Ashworth (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) continued his string of strong second-half performances, scoring 13 of his game-high 19 points after intermission. In the process, he went over the 1500 mark for his career (1,516 points), making him one of 15 players in Scranton history to accomplish this feat.
Sophomore guard Travis Farrell (Middletown, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) posted his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while junior forward Matt Swaback (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) scored in double figures for the fifth time in his last six games with 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the field. Senior guard Luke Hawk (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) established himself as an inside presence once again in the offense and finished with 12 points (on 5 of 8 shooting the field) and four rebounds.
Freshman forward Wally Rutecki (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) led the Crusaders with 16 points, while senior guard Rob Estep (York, Pa./West York/Hobart) and freshman center Harley Sellinger (Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain) finished with 12 apiece.
Today's victory was the tenth straight for Scranton, which is tied for the longest streak under tenth-year head coach Carl Danzig. The Royals, who also won 10 games under Danzig during the 2002-2003 season, also held a 38-25 rebounding advantage and connected on 21 of 25 free throw attempts (84.0 percent).
Scranton will return to action next Friday, January 14, against preseason Landmark Conference favorite Catholic University at the DuFour Center in Washington D.C., beginning at 5:30 p.m.
News & Notes: Scranton holds a 52-22 lead in the all-time series with the Crusaders…Ashworth is 16 points shy of tying Brian O'Donnell (1532 points, 2001-2005) for 14th place on the Royals' all-time scoring list…Ashworth has scored in double figures in his last 41 games and in 79 of 97 career games…Scranton's 5-0 league start is its best ever in its four-year affiliation with the Landmark Conference.
Newspaper Box Score
SCRANTON 81, SUSQUEHANNA 64
SUSQUEHANNA (7-9/3-2 Landmark)
Harvey Pannell 4-5 8-12 16; Rob Estep 3-8 6-7 12; Harley Sellinger 6-7 0-2 12; J.T. Wilson 4-13 0-0 9; Spenser Spencer 2-6 0-0 5; Mike Perillo 2-3 0-0 4; E.J. Duncan 1-1 0-0 2; Scott Marcinek 1-1 0-0 2; Fran Brzyski 1-2 0-1 2; Wally Rutecki 0-3 0-0 0; Eric Angstadt 0-0 0-0 0; Jason Dawson 0-2 0-0 0; Jake Eskin 0-0 0-0 0; Frank Marcinek Jr. 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-52 14-22 64.
SCRANTON (12-2/5-0 Landmark)
Zach Ashworth 4-12 8-8 19; Travis Farrell 5-6 1-2 14; Matt Swaback 5-7 2-3 14; Luke Hawk 5-8 2-4 12; Dan Hilferty 2-2 2-2 7; Tommy Morgan 2-6 2-2 7; Tim Lavelle 0-1 4-4 4; Nick Jaskula 1-1 0-0 2; Andrew Wynne 1-4 0-0 2; Edmond O'Connell 0-2 0-0 0; Michael Barr 0-1 0-0 0; Mike Marchman 0-0 0-0 0; Pat Mineo 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-51 21-25 81.
Susquehanna................... 28 36 - 64
The University of Scranton.... 30 51 - 81
3-point goals--Susquehanna 2-14 (J.T. Wilson 1-4; Spenser Spencer 1-4; Wally Rutecki 0-1; Frank Marcinek Jr. 0-1; Rob Estep 0-4), The University of Scranton 10-17 (Zach Ashworth 3-6; Travis Farrell 3-3; Matt Swaback 2-3; Tommy Morgan 1-1; Dan Hilferty 1-1; Michael Barr 0-1; Andrew Wynne 0-1; Luke Hawk 0-1). Fouled out--Susquehanna-J.T. Wilson, The University of Scranton-None. Rebounds--Susquehanna 25 (J.T. Wilson 7), The University of Scranton 38 (Travis Farrell 11). Assists--Susquehanna 17 (Mike Perillo 4), The University of Scranton 18 (Matt Swaback 4; Travis Farrell 4). Total fouls--Susquehanna 22, The University of Scranton 20. Technical
fouls--Susquehanna-None, The University of Scranton-None. A-400