MADISON, N.J. – The University of Scranton women's basketball team put up some impressive numbers this season -- 26 victories, two double-digit winning streaks, 20 victories by at least 10 points, more than 75 points per game. But what the Lady Royals really needed was probably just a couple more minutes.
Scranton made a furious rally from an 18-point second-half deficit, but ran out of time in an eventual 82-77 loss to eighth-ranked Montclair State in an NCAA Division III Tournament Sweet 16 game on Friday evening in the Ferguson Recreation Center at FDU-Florham.
The loss ends the 22nd-ranked Lady Royals' season at 26-4. They were making their 17 NCAA Sweet 16 in 27 NCAA Tournament appearances. They are now 55-28 in NCAA Tournament play, including 55-27 under head coach Mike Strong.
Junior forward Meredith Mesaris (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax) had a team-high 21 points in the loss, and she ends the season having scored in double figures in all 30 games. Freshman forward Alexix Roman (Hawley, Pa./Wallenpaupack) had 19 points and finishes three NCAA Tournament games with an average of 22.7 points per game. And fellow freshman forward Sarah Payonk (Schwenksville, Pa./Spring-Ford) had her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 15 rebounds.
Scranton committed 23 turnovers, almost seven above the team's season average and just the sixth time this season the Lady Royals committed 20 or more. Making matters worse, Montclair State (28-2) scored 32 points off those 23 Scranton turnovers.
The Red Hawks led by 10 at halftime, 38-28, after Scranton committed 15 first-half turnovers. Mesaris's 15 points were the saving grace for the Lady Royals, along with 11-for-22 shooting from the field.
After Mesaris scored inside to start the second half, Montclair State took full control with a 10-0 run for a 40-38 lead with 17:11 to play. The Lady Royals got within 10 at one point a few minutes later, but the Red Hawks continued to control the game and led 78-64 with 3:17 to play.
After a free throw by junior Lindsay Fluehr (Bensalem, Pa./Nazareth Academy) inched the Lady Royals closer, sophomore guard Jaclyn Gantz (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) checked in and promptly made a steal and hit two straight 3-pointers to suddenly cut the Scranton deficit to 78-71 with 1:53 to play.
With the Red Hawks struggling at the foul line, making just two of four over the next minute, Roman and Payonk were able to score inside to bring Scranton within 80-75 with 35 seconds left. But the Red Hawks hit another free throw and Scranton missed a 3-pointer and a jumper, and Roman was forced to foul with seven seconds left.
Once again, Montclair State hit one of two at the line and Fluehr's runner at the buzzer was anti-climactic while providing the final margin.
The Lady Royals shot a season-high 59.2 percent from the field (29-for-49), including 5-for-8 from 3-point range. Gantz hit all three of her 3-point attempts to finish with nine points. The Lady Royals won the rebounding battle, 29-27, but forced just 11 turnovers by the Red Hawks.
Fluehr finished with her typical strong game with 10 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Montclair State received a game-high 27 points from junior forward Melissa Tobie (Elizabeth, N.J./Roselle Catholic), 14 points from freshman guard Rachel Krauss (Farmingdale, N.J./Colts Neck) off the bench, and 12 points from junior guard Janitza Aquino (Kearny, N.J./Kearny).
The Red Hawks were 29-for-62 (46.8 percent) from the field, including 7-for-21 from 3-point range. They made 16 steals, 15 of them by the starting five.
Montclair State advances to the sectional championship (Elite Eight) on Saturday against the winner of Baldwin Wallace and FDU-Florham, which faced each other in Friday's second Sweet 16 game in the Ferguson Recreation Center.
--LADY ROYALS--