University of Scranton

Article Courtesy of Sports Information Intern, Molly White

SCRANTON, PA -- The University of Scranton women's basketball team opened its season with a 69-48 victory over SUNY Cortland Monday night at the John Long Center.

The Basics

• Final Score: No. 3 Scranton 69, Cortland 48
• Records: No. 3 Scranton (1-0), Cortland (0-1)

How it Happened

• Graduate student Kyra Quigley opened the scoring for the Royals, igniting a 14-0 run in the first quarter. 
• In the second quarter, the Red Dragons were within four after a 8-2 run until sophomore Katie Gorski made a steal off the full court press and found junior Kaci Kranson who drained a three-pointer from the left wing. 
• With 24 seconds remaining in the half, junior Kaeli Romanowski made a steal and took the ball the length of the court to give the Royals a 30-16 lead.
• Two minutes into the second half, graduate student Maddie Hartnett found Kranson in the low post, who converted a turnaround jumper and gave Scranton a 35-20 lead.
• Gorski banked a three at 5:08, and classmate Natalie Stoupakis connected from the right wing 22 seconds later, putting the Royals ahead by 19.
• Kranson drove to the basket with 1:20 remaining, drawing the foul and converting the traditional three-point play. 
• In the fourth, sophomore Meghan Lamanna grabbed a defensive rebound and took the ball the length of the court, finding Kranson in the left corner who drained a jumper.
• On the next possession, Lamanna connected from three in the right corner, giving Scranton a 20 point cushion with 6:56 left to play. 
• Gorski drove to the basket with 37 seconds left in the game and converted the and-one to ice the Red Dragons.

Top Performers

• Kranson led the game in both points and rebounds, finishing with 21 points and eight boards.
• Romanowski, Hartnett, and Lamanna each added seven rebounds apiece.
• Gorski finished with 11 points and two blocks.

Inside the Box Score

• Scranton forced the Red Dragons to commit 22 turnovers, 14 of which were credited to Royal steals. 
• The Royals were 29.2% from three point range, while Cortland was 17.6%.
• Cortland only led during the first 1:33 of the game, after a technical foul free-throw gave them a 1-0 advantage before the tip. 

Up Next
The Royals will host New Jersey City University on Saturday, Nov. 16 with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 PM in the John Long Center.