Brendan Boken	Ross Danzig	Sean Cummings

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Photo gallery (courtesy of Emma Black)

Photo gallery (courtesy of Dan Ceccacci)

SCRANTON, Pa.—Senior guard Ross Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights/Blair Academy-NJ) came up with the big play when The University of Scranton men’s basketball team needed it most Saturday afternoon against Goucher College in Landmark Conference action at the Long Center.

Trailing by one with 10 seconds remaining, Danzig set up sophomore guard Sean Cummings’ (Millstone Township, NJ/St. Peter’s Preparatory) game-winning lay-up with an assist as the Royals survived another knee-knocker, 68-67, to improve to 12-2 overall and 6-0 in the Landmark Conference.    

Scranton has now won its last six games by a combined total of 15 points.  

Junior forward Brendan Boken (South Pasadena, Calif./Loyola) led the Royals with 24 points and 12 rebounds, Danzig finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, and Cummings chipped in nine points in 18 minutes of action off the bench.

Goucher, now 3-11 overall and 2-3 in the conference, received 15 points from junior guard Norman Allen II (Bowie, Md./Riverdale Baptist) and 11 points from sophomore forward Jordan Young (Washington, DC/McLean School-Md.).  The Gophers had a chance to win it on their final possession, but Allen’s floating lay-up in the lane was short of the mark.

The Royals got out of the gates quickly, building up a 14-point lead with 2:13 remaining in the first half, but Goucher scored eight straight points to cut the margin to six by intermission, 38-32.

Goucher's momentum carried over into the second half, as Young and Allen combined for 18 points as the Gophers got more confident with each and every possession.  They took their first lead off the second half on a baseline jump shot by Young with 11:06 left and led on three other occasions, the last of which came with 29 seconds remaining on two free throws by Allen, who had his previous shot attempted blocked by Danzig but was fouled after coming up with the rebound.    

On the next possession, the Royals cleared out a side for Danzig, who drew two defenders while driving to the basket and found Cummings wide open for a lay-up cutting from the opposite side.  

Boken’s ‘double-double’ was his second of the season and the 12th of his career.  He connected on 10 of 13 shots from the field and also finished with four steals and a block in 28 minutes of action.  His 24 points today moved him into 36th place on the Royals' all-time scoring list with 1061.

The Royals will play their final non-conference game of the season this Tuesday, January 13, against Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

--ROYALS--