Box Score SCRANTON, Pa. – Graduate student Sam Rajza (Plains, Pa./Holy Redeemer) led a balanced scoring attack with a season-high 21 points and The No. 4 University of Scranton women's basketball team (18-0, 7-0 Landmark) cruised to a 79-56 victory over the Moravian Greyhounds (10-8, 3-4 Landmark) in Landmark Conference action on Thursday night at the John Long Center in Scranton.
Rajza led five Lady Royals in double figures as the hosts shot 51.7% (31-of-60) from the floor, which marks the second-best shooting percentage of the season.
Freshman Kaci Kranson (Scranton, Pa./Holy Cross) opened the scoring with the layup and Scranton scored the first 12 points of the game. Later in the quarter, Kranson and senior Bridget Monaghan (Florham Park, N.J./Morristown-Beard) hit back-to-back threes and Monaghan sank a pair of free throws for a 26-8 lead after one. The Lady Royals continued to extend the lead in the second quarter and led by as many as 25 at 38-13 before junior Maddie Hartnett (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) sank a free throw in the final minute for a 41-17 advantage at the half.
Moravian briefly put together an 11-6 run over the first four plus of the third quarter to cut the lead to 47-28 before a Monaghan layup and a Rajza three opened up a 52-29 lead at the 3:50 mark. From there, the Greyhounds were unable to get any closer than 20 and junior Allie Lynch (Villanova, Pa./Academy of Notre Dame de Namur) converted a three-point play for a 59-36 edge after three. In the fourth quarter, consecutive layups by senior Hannah Angelini (Baldwin Place, N.J./Somers) and a three by Rajza extended the lead to 30 at 68-38 as the Lady Royals cruised to their 18th straight victory.
Rajza's season-high 21 points came on 7-of-10 shooting and she was joined in double figures by Kranson with 13 points, Monaghan with 11 and 10 apiece from Hartnett and junior Maddy Ryan (Malvern, Pa./Villa Maria Academy). Rajza also added five steals, four assists and four rebounds, while Angelini contributed six points and eight boards.
Tessa Zamolyi had 15 points and 12 rebounds to pace Moravian and Sam Osorio added 13. The Lady Royals were able to limit Kayla Yoegel, who ranks sixth in the conference in scoring, to just four points on 2-of-11 shooting.
To go along with the 51.7% clip from the field, Scranton was 6-of-19 (31.6%) from beyond the arc and 11-of-17 (64.7%) from the free throw line. The Greyhounds shot 34.0% (19-of-55) from the floor and 25.0% (2-of-8) from deep.
Scranton forced 17 Moravian turnovers and Rajza led the way with her five steals.
The Lady Royals will head to Goucher to take on the Gophers on Saturday afternoon with action set to get underway at 2 p.m.
--LADY ROYALS--
