Jon Spatola
University of Scranton men’s basketball
Abington Heights graduate Will Marion hit shots on consecutive possessions to cap a comeback and help the University of Scranton men’s basketball team rally past Moravian University, 84-80, in a Landmark Conference game at the John Long Center on Wednesday.
Six players scored in double figures for Scranton, led by Jon Spatola with 17 points, including the 1,000th of his career. Brendan Carr added 15 points, Marion finished with 14, Ben Robinson and Nick Ruisi each had 13 and P.J. Kellachan contributed 10. Carr also had six rebounds and Marion six assists.
The win, coupled with Elizabethtown’s win at Drew, enabled the Royals (10-3 league, 17-3 overall) to move into sole possession of second place in the Landmark standings, one game in back of Catholic. Five games remain in the regular season.
Moravian led by as many as 19 in the first half and held a 48-32 advantage at halftime. The score was 61-47 with 13:49 remaining in the second half when the Royals went on a 17-6 tear over the next 4½ minutes to close within 67-64 with 9:14 left. Spatola had seven points in the run, including a 3-pointer at the 12:03 mark that enabled the senior to reach the 1,000 career-point milestone. He is the 49th player in program history to accomplish the feat.
It was 74-70 when a basket by Kellachan and a 3-pointer by Ruisi sandwiched around a Moravian foul shot tied the score at 75 with 3:19 to go. Joel Baez reclaimed the lead for the Greyhounds, 77-75, with 1:55 left. But Marion followed with a 3-pointer to give Scranton a 78-77 lead — its first since 3-2. Following a Moravian miss, Marion hit a jumper with 35 seconds left to put the Royals ahead by three. Two free throws each by Carr and Ruisi sealed the victory.
Keystone 95, SUNY-ESF 93: At La Plume, P.J. Murphy’s layup broke an 89-89 tie with 1:10 remaining and Keystone College earned a nonconference win over SUNY- Environmental Science and Forestry at Gambal Athletic Center. The game featured 13 ties and 17 lead changes.
Following Murphy’s basket, free throws by Kamdyn Ayres (1), Ahmodrion Jones (2) and Jden Golden (1) in the final 37 seconds sealed the victory.
Ayers and Jones each had 20 points and seven rebounds to lead the Giants (6-16). Ayers also dished out nine assists. Niame Scott added 14 points, Golding wound up with 12 points and Murphy, a Scranton grad, chipped in 11.
Gwynedd Mercy 94, Marywood 69: At Gwynedd Valley, leading by seven at halftime, Gwynedd Mercy University scored 50 points in the second half to pull away to an Atlantic East Conference win over Marywood University.
Old Forge graduate Joe Macciocco led Marywood (4-5, 11-9) with 14 points. Andrew Quinn added 13 points for the Pacers. Collin Himmelberg followed with 11 points and Shilo Bivins collected 10 points and seven rebounds.
Women’s basketball
At Bethlehem, the University of Scranton rolled to its 20th victory, 81-47, over Moravian University in Landmark Conference women’s basketball action at Johnston Hall.
Holy Cross graduate Kaci Kranson led the No. 2-ranked Lady Royals (13-0, 20-0) with 22 points. Western Wayne grad Kaeli Romanowski and Elizabeth Bennett each had double-doubles — Bennett 18 points and 11 rebounds, Romanowski 11 points, 11 boards along with five steals. Katie Gorski contributed 13 points.
Scranton scored the final 11 points of the first quarter to take a 20-10 lead. A 16-0 run in the second quarter helped the Lady Royals build a 44-19 halftime lead. They then opened the third quarter by scoring the first eight points to put the game out of reach.
Marywood 63, Gwynedd Mercy 53: At Scranton, Marywood University scored the final nine points of the second quarter to open a 15-point halftime lead on its way to an Atlantic East Conference victory over Gwynedd Mercy University at Insalaco Arena.
Megan Cavoli led the Pacers (5-4, 10-10) with 20 points and six assists. Dunmore grad Mia Blume added 12 points and Kendel Card grabbed eight rebounds.