Erin Boggan	Meredith Mesaris
Tayler Pallotta	Katherine Torto

Box Score
Photo Gallery (courtesy of Barry Ashworth)

BETHLEHEM, Pa.—The University of Scranton women’s basketball team got the performance it needed from senior forward Erin Boggan (Danbury, Conn./Danbury) against 24th-ranked Moravian College in a key Landmark Conference matchup Wednesday evening at Johnston Hall.

It wasn't enough, however, to offset the Lady Greyhounds' depth.

Boggan scored a career-high 24 points, pulled down seven rebounds, and blocked two shots, but Moravian countered with four players in double figures en route to a 70-62 victory.  The win was third straight for the Lady Greyhounds, now 17-2 overall and keeps them one game ahead of Catholic University for the top spot in the Landmark with an 8-0 mark.

Scranton, which fell to 12-6 overall and 4-3 in the conference, also received 12 points from sophomore forward Meredith Mesaris (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax) and six points and 10 rebounds from senior guard Katherine Torto (Binghamton, NY/Seton Central Catholic).

With an opportunity to close to within a game of first place in the conference, the Lady Royals came out strong in the first half.  Behind 16 points from Boggan and a combined 10 points off the bench from sophomore Lia DiSciascio (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O’Hara) and senior forward Tayler Pallotta (Dunmore, Pa./Dunmore), Scranton shot nearly 46 percent from the field to forge a 35-35 tie at intermission.

The Lady Royals, however, went south after scoring the first six points of the second half to take their largest lead, 41-35.  Moravian continued to chip away, built up a 10-point lead with 7:15 left, and made enough of its free throw attempts down the stretch even after Scranton twice made it a two-possession game, the last of which came with 45 seconds remaining on a jump shot by Boggan.

In the final 20 minutes of play, Scranton shot 28.1 percent from the field, including 0-for-11 from the 3-point arc.  The Lady Royals also hurt their chances by turning the ball over 19 times for the game.

Sophomore forward Alexis Wright (Shillington, Pa./Governor Mifflin) led the Lady Greyhounds with 16 points and 10 rebounds and freshman guards Alesha Marcks (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) and Emily MacDonnell (Springfield, NJ/Jonathan Dayton) and senior guard Amanda Kreuder (Byram, NJ/Morris Catholic) finished with 12, 11, and 10 points, respectively.

Boggan’s 24 points eclipsed her previous career-high of 19 points on two other occasions.

The Lady Royals, who also received eight assists and a career-high high five steals from sophomore guard Lindsay Fleuhr (Bensalem, Pa./Nazareth Academy), will host Juniata College in a battle for sole possession of third place in the Landmark Conference this Saturday, January 26, beginning at 5:00 p.m. in the Long Center.

--LADY ROYALS--