Box Score
SCRANTON, Pa. – With less than seven minutes to play, the
Susquehanna women's basketball team held a 49-46 lead but a
late Scranton rally ultimately resulted in a 68-57 SU loss on
Saturday evening.
Senior Erika Barron (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua Area)
led SU (7-9, 2-3) with 14 points, six of which came from
three-point range. Gina Palazzi (Newfoundland,
Pa./Wallenpaupack) finished with yet another double-digit
scoring game with 13 points. Seniors Rachael Hughes
(Gordon, Pa./North Schuylkill) and Samantha
Cartwright (Cranford, N.J./Cranford) both
finished with 12 points apiece.
Both offenses took time finding their rhythms, as it stood 6-2
in favor of the Royals (10-5, 4-1) nearly five minutes into the
game.
Colleen McLane drained a three with 14:14 on the clock to put SU
in a 9-2 hole and force Jim Reed to call his first
timeout of the game. Hughes scored SU's first four points of
the game, including a jumper that made it 9-4.
Shannon Grunwald (Neshanic Station,
N.J./Somerville) brought SU within three, 10-7, on a layup
at the 11-minute mark but Scranton's Jennifer King countered
with a three for a 13-7 game.
SU responded with a 10-1 run that made it 17-14 with less than
seven minutes to play in the half. With 1:20 on the clock, Barron
drained her first trey of the evening to put SU ahead 24-23.
Scranton managed to close out the final 60 seconds of the half
with back-to-back buckets, though, to grab a 27-24 lead at the
midway point of the game.
The teams traded baskets to open the second half and
Palazzi's jumper at the 16-minute mark knotted it at 32-all.
Barron followed with another three for a 35-32 SU advantage.
The Royals regained the lead following a Megan Kopecki
three-point play that made it 38-35with 14 minutes remaining.
Cartwright connected on consecutive jumpers to keep the
Crusaders within one, 40-39, and two Barron free throws kept it a
one-point game, 42-41, at the half's midway point.
An Amarra Boone (Schwenksville, Pa./Perkiomen
Valley) fastbreak layup at 8:02 put SU ahead (45-44) for
the first time since the 15:26 mark of the half. Barron had a
fastbreak bucket of her own less than 90 seconds later for the
49-46 Crusaders lead.
Susquehanna did not remain in the lead for long as Kopecki
converted on a three-point play, knotting it at 49. That was
followed by treys from Scranton on consecutive possessions that
made it 55-51 inside the five-minute mark.
Those baskets were part of a 13-2 Royals run that put
Susquehanna in a 62-51 hole with just over two minutes remaining.
Barron snapped that stretch with two free throws to make it a
nine-point contest (62-53) and Cartwright followed with a jumper
for the 62-55 score with 1:11 on the clock.
As the game went into the final 60 seconds, SU was forced to
foul and the Royals came through with five free throws and Scranton
held on for the 11-point win.
Next game: Friday, Jan. 21 vs. Drew – 7:30
p.m.
