SCRANTON, Pa. — The University of Scranton Royals used a dominant first-quarter surge Friday to stay unbeaten and move one win away from the NCAA Division III women’s basketball Final Four, defeating Bates 76-59 in the Sweet 16.

Scranton, the undefeated and No. 2 nationally ranked team, opened the game with a 12-0 first-quarter run and never let No. 12 Bates seriously threaten after building a 27-8 lead by the end of the opening period.

Bates (26-4) closed a record-breaking season that included a second NESCAC title, a fourth trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 and the most wins in program history.

Senior captain Elsa Daulerio, a Harpswell, Maine, native, led Bates with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the final game of her career. Daulerio finished with 1,375 career points, the sixth-most in program history. Fellow seniors Sophie Spolter, from Blacklick, Ohio, and co-captain Ava James, from Bethesda, Maryland, added 16 and 10 points, respectively. Junior Mya Hicks of Ann Arbor, Michigan, also scored 10 points and went 3 of 4 from 3-point range.

Rebounding proved decisive. Scranton (30-0) out-rebounded Bates 43-28, leading to a 16-3 advantage in second-chance points. The Royals also controlled the paint, outscoring Bates 40-12 inside.

Katie Gorski led all players with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting, along with two blocked shots and two steals. Kaci Kranson posted a double-double with 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Meghan Lamanna added 13 points, six rebounds and three assists, and Elizabeth Bennett scored 10 points off the bench.

Scranton scored the first four points on free throws before Daulerio hit a jumper to make it 4-2 with 7:43 left in the first quarter. The Royals then extended the lead with a 14-0 run, going up 16-2 on Jenna Sloan free throws with 5:08 remaining.

Bates outscored Scranton 51-49 over the final three quarters, but the closest the Bobcats got after the first quarter was within 15 points on a Daulerio jumper with 5:33 left in the third. Scranton led by as many as 27 points before Bates ended the game on a 10-0 run.

Statistically, the teams were otherwise similar. Bates shot .385 from the floor to Scranton’s .438 and hit 6 of 17 from 3-point range compared with Scranton’s 5 of 16. Turnovers were nearly even, with Bates committing 11 to Scranton’s 10. Scranton scored 16 points off turnovers, while Bates scored 15. Bates went 13 of 16 at the free-throw line, and Scranton finished 15 of 19.

Scranton will play No. 20 Concordia-Moorhead in the Elite Eight on Saturday at 7 p.m.