UNION, N.J.—Kean University put a damper on The University of Scranton's holiday spirits Tuesday evening at the Harwood Arena.
The fourth-ranked Cougars took control midway through the first half and cruised to a 56-39 victory, snapping the Lady Royals' five-game winning streak and dropping their record to 6-3 heading into the Christmas break.
Freshman guard Emily Cristaldi (Summit, N.J./Summit) led Kean, now 9-1, with 15 points and five rebounds and senior forward Tiffany Patrick (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. Senior guards Megan Kopecki (Millington, N.J./Watchung Hills Regional) and Jennifer King (Taylor, Pa./Riverside) led Scranton with nine points apiece.
The Lady Royals had no answers for Kean's size, strength and athleticism. The Cougars blocked 12 shots, pressured Scranton into 31 turnovers and forced the Lady Royals into a dismal 14-for-65 shooting effort from the field (21.5 percent).
The Cougars didn't exactly light it up, either, shooting just 35.2 percent from the field and turning the ball over 34 times. But, they built up enough of a lead by intermission, 35-18, to offset their sloppy play.
Scranton's shooting woes continued early in the second half. The Lady Royals failed to score a basket until nearly the 13-minute mark, but Kopecki and King, however, brought some life to the offense by sandwiching a pair of 3-pointers around back-to-back lay-ups by sophomore forward Tayler Pallotta (Dunmore, Pa./Dunmore) during a 10-0 spurt that cut the Cougars' lead to 13, 41-28, with 11:41 remaining. Kean then built up a 19-point cushion four minutes later to put the game out of reach.
The Lady Royals will return to action on Sunday, January 2, against St. Mary's (Md.) in the opening round of the Gettysburg tournament in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, beginning at 8:00 p.m.
News & Notes: Kean University has won the last two games against Scranton convincingly, defeating the Lady Royals, 70-45, in last year's game at the Long Center and by 17 points this evening…Scranton still holds on to a 7-6 lead since the all-time series with the Cougars began on January 4, 1985…Lady Royals' 39-point output was their lowest of the season and the lowest since scoring 38 against the University of Rochester on January 6, 2009, at the Long Center.
Newspaper Box Score
KEAN 56, SCRANTON 39
SCRANTON (6-3)
Jennifer King 3-11 0-0 9; Megan Kopecki 4-12 0-0 9; Tayler Pallotta 2-8 2-2 6; Alison Sweeney 2-7 1-2 5; Colleen McLane 1-7 2-4 5; Shernai Bentley 1-3 1-2 3; Courtney Roselle 1-5 0-0 2; Christina Hiltunen 0-0 0-0 0; Sarah Gage 0-5 0-0 0; KC Hawkes 0-1 0-0 0; Sidney Jaques 0-0 0-0 0; Katherine Torto 0-2 0-1 0; Katie Cunningham 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 14-65 6-11 39.
KEAN (9-1)
Emily Cristaldi 5-9 3-3 15; Tiffany Patrick 4-8 4-5 12; Simone Smith 3-8 0-0 6; Angelica Bermudez 2-4 2-4 6; Nicol Biesek 3-5 0-0 6; Noel Mathis 0-3 4-4 4; Danielle McFadden 1-4 2-2 4; Brittanie Payne 1-4 0-0 2; Brittany Powell 0-1 1-2 1; Briana Winston 0-2 0-0 0; Allison Rayano 0-0 0-0 0; Naimah Clemons 0-6 0-0 0; Alexis Govan 0-0 0-0 0; Kyanne Sager 0-0 0-4 0. Totals19-54 16-24 56.
The University of Scranton.... 18 21 - 39
Kean University............... 35 21 - 56
3-point goals--The University of Scranton 5-22 (Jennifer King 3-10; Colleen McLane 1-3; Megan Kopecki 1-3; Katie Cunningham 0-3; Alison Sweeney 0-1; Tayler Pallotta 0-2), Kean University 2-10 (Emily Cristaldi 2-4; Nicol Biesek 0-2; Noel Mathis 0-1; Brittany Powell 0-1; Briana Winston 0-1; Naimah Clemons 0-1). Fouled out--The University of Scranton-Courtney Roselle, Kean University-None. Rebounds--The University of Scranton 39 (Tayler Pallotta7), Kean University 50 (Simone Smith 11). Assists--The University of Scranton 10 (Colleen McLane 4), Kean University 11 (Naimah Clemons 5). Total fouls--The University of Scranton 19, Kean University 17. Technical fouls--The University of Scranton-None, Kean University-None. A-156