Box Score BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The No. 3 University of Scranton women's basketball team (24-0, 13-0 Landmark) used a stifling defensive effort to hold Moravian to 22.6% shooting and rolled to a 73-45 victory over the Greyhounds (14-10, 7-6 Landmark) on Wednesday night at Johnston Hall in Bethlehem.
Scranton has already clinched the No. 1 seed in next week's Landmark Conference Tournament that will get underway with semifinal action on Feb. 22.
The 22.6% shooting is a season-low allowed by the Lady Royals and the 21st time in 24 games that they have allowed less than 60 points. It is also the lowest shooting percentage by a Scranton opponent since holding Goucher to 22.0% shooting in a victory over the Gophers on Feb. 5, 2022.
After Moravian opened the scoring with a three, senior Bridget Monaghan (Florham Park, N.J./Morristown-Beard) scored the first two of her game-high 20 points with a jumper and the Lady Royals used a 14-2 run that Monaghan capped with another bucket for a 14-5 lead at the 3:14 mark of the first quarter. Freshman Kaci Kranson (Scranton, Pa./Holy Cross) then hit a layup and Monaghan buried a three for a 19-8 lead after one. Kranson sank a pair of free throws to open the scoring in the second period and consecutive threes by graduate student Sam Rajza (Plains, Pa./Holy Redeemer) and senior Hannah Angelini (Baldwin Place, N.Y./Somers) extended the Lady Royals' advantage to 27-8 with 7:42 left. The Greyhounds scored the next five points to trim the deficit to 14 before Monaghan converted a three-point play and a layup by senior Sara Walsh (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) in the final seconds opened up a 33-17 lead at the half.
The Lady Royals opened the third quarter on an 11-2 run that included four points by Angelini and a Kranson layup made it a 44-19 game with 6:14 to go. Angelini scored five straight points later in the quarter and Walsh sank another layup with a minute left that opened up a commanding 61-29 advantage after three quarters. Scranton cruised through the fourth quarter and the Greyhounds could not get any closer than 28 the rest of the way.
Monaghan led all scorers with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting as she notched her second straight 20-plus point performance and was joined in double figures by Kranson with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting and Angelini with 13 on 4-of-7 shooting including a pair of threes.
Ashley Robinson had 14 points off the bench to lead Moravian on the night.
Head coach Ben O'Brien's team shot 40.6% (26-of-64) from the field, 31.8% (7-of-22) from deep and 82.4% (14-of-17) from the free throw line, while holding the Greyhounds to a 14-of-62 (22.6%) clip from the floor and 6-of-19 (31.6%) from long range.
Scranton held a 50-42 edge on the glass behind eight rebounds apiece from Rajza and junior Jenna Larrabee (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill). Larrabee's eight boards surpassed her previous career-high of seven that had been set in a win over Juniata on Jan. 8, 2022.
Rajza also added eight points and five assists in the victory.
The Lady Royals will return home to host Juniata on Saturday afternoon at the John Long Center with tip-off set for 2 p.m. Prior to the game, the senior class of Angelini, Monaghan, Rajza, Walsh, Emma Duerr (Long Valley, N.J./Morris Catholic) and Kyra Quigley (Drexel Hill, Pa./Sacred Heart Academy Bryn Mawr) will be honored.
--LADY ROYALS--
