BETHLEHEM, Pa.—The University of Scranton wasted little time in reestablishing it reputation against defending Landmark Conference champion Moravian College Saturday afternoon at Johnston Hall.
The Lady Royals bolted out to a 42-20 halftime lead and cruised to a 69-42 victory. The win was the third straight for Scranton, now 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference, while the loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Lady Greyhounds, now 3-4 overall and 0-1 in the Landmark.
Senior guard Jennifer King (Taylor, Pa./Riverside) scored a season-high 16 points, including 14 in the first half, and senior guard Megan Kopecki (Millington, N.J./Watchung Hills Regional) added 15, including 13 in the opening 20 minutes of play, as the Lady Royals avenged three losses to Moravian last season, including a 66-49 thumping in the Landmark title game that snapped Scranton's two-year reign as conference champions.
Senior guard forward Amy Heffner (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland), who entered the game averaging 22.8 points per game and coming off back-to-back 30-point efforts, led Moravian with 13 points, including 11 in the first half.
King got the Lady Royals rolling early, knocking down four 3-pointers in the opening nine minutes of play as the Lady Royals built up a 25-13 lead. By the time the dust settled, Scranton had built up a 22-point cushion by intermission by shooting nearly 54 percent from the field.
The Lady Greyhounds, on the other hand, got out of the blocks slowly, shooting only 25 percent from the field while committing 17 turnovers. It didn't get much better in the second half, either, as Moravian made just 7 of 24 field goal attempts (29.2 percent) and turned the ball over 17 times again to finish with 34 for the game.
Scranton ended any chances of a Moravian comeback by scoring the first nine points of the second half and its lead eventually mushroomed to 31 points with 16:50 remaining.
The Lady Royals, who shot a season-high 47.5 percent from the field (28 of 59), also received nine points from first-year guard Allison Sweeney (Wall, N.J./Saint Rose) and eight from sophomore guard KC Hawkes (Binghamton, N.Y./Seton Central Catholic).
Scranton will break for final exams and return to action on Wednesday, December 15, against Cabrini College beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Long Center. The Cavaliers are coached by former Lady Royal point-guard Kate (Pierangeli) Pierson, who is the 12th all-time leading scorer in Lady Royals' history with 1,292 points.
News & Notes: In her last two games, King has connected on 12 of 20 shots from the field in leading the Royals to wins over Stevens Tech and Moravian…today's win was the first by the Lady Royals over Moravian at Johnston Hall since a 92-85 victory in double overtime on February 23, 2008…Scranton holds a 14-8 lead since the all-time series with Moravian College began on February 28, 1987….Moravian holds a 5-4 advantage over Scranton since the two teams became Landmark Conference members in 2007...in addition to her 15 points, Kopecki also finished with six rebounds, seven assists, three blocks, and five steals….junior forward Sarah Gage (Ledgewood, N.J./Roxbury) also finished with three blocks for Scranton.
Newspaper Box Score
SCRANTON 69, MORAVIAN 42
SCRANTON (4-2/1-0 Landmark)
Jennifer King 6-9 0-0 16; Megan Kopecki 5-7 4-4 15; Alison Sweeney 4-8 0-0 9; KC Hawkes 4-8 0-0 8; Katie Cunningham 3-6 0-0 7; Colleen McLane 2-5 0-0 5; Sarah Gage 2-7 0-0 4; Shernai Bentley 1-1 1-2 3; Katherine Torto 1-1 0-0 2; Christina Hiltunen 0-2 0-0 0; Courtney Roselle 0-1 0-0 0; Katie Sherry 0-0 0-0 0; Brianna Reigstad 0-0 0-0 0; Tayler Pallotta 0-2 0-0 0; Sidney Jaques 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 28-59 5-6 69.
MORAVIAN (3-4/0-1 Landmark)
Amy Heffner 3-8 5-7 13; Katie O'Rourke 1-4 5-6 7; Emily Smith 3-4 1-2 7; Caitlin Hrebik 2-7 0-0 5; Alexandra Blair 2-8 0-2 4; Amanda Kreuder 1-4 0-0 2; Cassandra Phillips 0-0 2-2 2; Danielle Brogan 1-4 0-0 2; Alyssa Hann 0-2 0-0 0; Christine Peterlin 0-1 0-0 0; Laura Jordan 0-2 0-2 0; Laura Casey 0-1 0-1 0; Hilary Murray 0-3 0-0 0; Amie Ballo 0-0 0-0 0; Katie Markos 0-0 0-0
0. Totals 13-48 13-22 42.
Scranton.... 42 27 - 69
Moravian.............. 20 22 - 42
3-point goals--The University of Scranton 8-13 (Jennifer King 4-6; Colleen McLane 1-1; Megan Kopecki 1-2; Katie Cunningham 1-1; Alison Sweeney 1-2; Christina Hiltunen 0-1), Moravian College 3-12 (Amy Heffner 2-6; Caitlin Hrebik 1-4; Hilary Murray 0-2). Fouled out--The University of Scranton-None, Moravian College-None. Rebounds--The University of Scranton 39 (Megan Kopecki 6), Moravian College 34 (Katie O'Rourke 4; Emily Smith 4; Alexandra Blair 4). Assists--The University of Scranton 22 (Megan Kopecki 7), Moravian College 10 (Caitlin Hrebik 2; Laura Jordan 2; Hilary Murray 2; Amanda Kreuder 2). Total fouls--The University of Scranton 22, Moravian College 13. Technical fouls--The University of Scranton-None, Moravian College-None. A-312