Box Score
Box score
MADISON, N.J. – Senior forward Meredith Mesaris (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax) matched her season high with 30 points and The University of Scranton women's basketball team remained unbeaten in Landmark Conference play by rolling to a 79-56 victory over Drew University on Tuesday night in Baldwin Gymnasium.
Sophomore forward Sarah Payonk (Schwenksville, Pa./Spring-Ford) added 10 points and nine rebounds as Scranton (12-1, 4-0 Landmark) shot 32-for-62 (51.6 percent) from the field.
Mesaris scored 22 first-half points as the Lady Royals, who are ranked seventh in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25, raced out to a 42-23 lead at the break. The second half was much of the same as Mesaris scored the first two baskets and Scranton opened the half with a 13-1 run to build a 55-24 lead with 16:16 left.
Scranton built the lead to 33 with just over 12 minutes left, and Drew (7-5, 2-2 Landmark) got no closer than the final margin the rest of the way.
Mesaris has been quite a thorn in the side of the Rangers during her career. In seven career games against Drew, she is averaging 23.9 points per game, including two games of 30 or more points. That also includes her first game in a Scranton uniform on Jan. 13, 2012, when she scored just two points in 11 minutes.
She finished Tuesday night going 14-for-20 from the field to go along with three blocks, two rebounds and two assists.
Junior guard Jaclyn Gantz (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) added nine points on a trio of 3-pointers to go along with seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Lexi McGivern (Bethlehem, Pa./Notre Dame) had six points and two assists off the bench, and senior guard Lindsay Fluehr (Bensalem, Pa./Nazareth Academy) finished with three points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal.
Scranton's bench contributed 29 points, including four 3-pointers, in the win. The Lady Royals made eight of 21 3-pointers (38.1 percent) and hit seven of nine free throws. They dominated the glass, outrebounding Drew, 44-29.
Drew was led by sophomore forward Ryan Jackson (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Township), who had 10 points and five rebounds. Scranton held the Rangers to 19-for-59 (32.2 percent) from the field and five of 21 (23.8 percent) from 3-point range.
The Lady Royals are back in action on Thursday when they host Susquehanna with first place in the Landmark Conference on the line at 7 p.m. in the John Long Center.
--LADY ROYALS--
