Box Score

ST. DAVID'S, Pa. - Freshman guard Mason Thompson (Prairie Village, Kan./Rockhurst) scored a team-high 16 points off the bench, but it wasn't enough, as host Eastern (Pa.) jumped out to a big first half lead and never looked back in a 75-67 victory over The University of Scranton men's basketball team on Wednesday night.

With the loss, Scranton dropped to 3-3 overall on the year, while Eastern improved to 5-2 on the year with the victory.

To start, Eastern came out and took a big lead on the Royals, as the Eagles went up, 20-5, nine minutes into the contest. That double-digit Eastern lead held through the rest of the first half, as the Eagles eventually extended their edge out to 33-14 with 4:20 to go in the opening frame.

Scranton went on a bit of a run to end the half (10-3), but the Royals still faced a 12-point deficit at intermission, as Eastern held a 36-24 advantage.

The second half was more of the same, as Eastern quickly went back up 18 (46-28) two minutes into the period and never looked back the rest of the contest, as the closest Scranton came to the Eagles' lead was seven points late in regulation.

Overall for the Royals, Thompson led the way with his 16-point effort, the best of his short career at Scranton, as he went a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range in the defeat.

Thompson led four double-digit scorers for Scranton. Elsewhere, junior guard Stephen Braunstein (Colts Neck, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) had 13 points, while senior Peter Hartrick (Binghamton, N.Y./Seton Catholic Central) and junior Ryan Ems (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional) had 10 points, apiece.

Eastern was led in the win by William Blet, who matched a game-high 16 points.

The University of Scranton men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday, as they travel to Catholic for their 2021-22 Landmark Conference opener. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.

--ROYALS--