Travis Farrell	Jason Pierce
Ross Danzig	Brendan Boken

Box Score

TOWSON, Md.—Senior guard Travis Farrell (Middletown, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) came through with a number of clutch plays in the closing minute to lift The University of Scranton men’s basketball team to a 61-58 victory over Goucher College in the Landmark Conference regular-season finale for both teams Saturday evening at the Decker Sports & Recreation Center.

Farrell finished with 13 points and sophomore guard Ross Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights/Blair Academy-NJ) and junior forward Jason Pierce (Scranton, Pa./Constoga/Lackawanna College) added 18 and 12 points, respectively, as Scranton improved to 19-6 overall and 10-4 in the conference.

Freshman guard Troy DeShields (Seaford, Del./Sussex Technical) came off the bench and scored 19 of his game-high 27 points in the second half for Goucher, which finished the season with 6-18 overall record and 4-10 mark in the Landmark.

After making four clutch free throws in the final minute, Farrell came up with a steal, but the Royals failed to ice it after missing two free throws.  DeShields then missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer on Goucher’s final possession.  The lead changed hands six times in the final 3:42.

Even though this win does nothing to improve the Royals’ stock in the upcoming Landmark tournament—they are the number two seed and will host Juniata College Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Long Center—Scranton needed this win desperately if it entertains any thoughts of receiving a possible at-large berth to the NCAA Division III championships should it not win the Landmark tournament next week.

The Royals jumped out to early leads of 9-0 and 11-1 but could not maintain it as the Gophers fought back and led by five at intermission and by six with 8:42 remaining in the second half.

Scranton shot only 35 percent from the field, including a dismal 3-for-23 (13.0 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc, but somehow found a way to stay in it.  Pierce scored eight second-half points on 3-for-3 shooting from the field and Danzig added 10 after intermission.

But it was Farrell and freshman Brendan Boken (South Pasadena, Calif./Loyola) who came through when the Royals needed it most.   Farrell scored six points—a lay-up with 3:02 left to give Scranton a 1-point lead and four free throws in the final minute—and Boken added a lay-up to regain it a minute later, 57-56. He also hit two free throws with 4:13 remaining to cut a four-point deficit down to two.  Boken finished with eight points, nine rebounds, and two assists in 26 minutes of action.

The win was the fourth straight and seventh in the last eight games for Scranton, which has now won at least 10 conference games in each of the last five seasons. 

--ROYALS--