Scranton Halts Marywood’s Winning Streak at Four
Marielle Thorsen led Marywood with 17 points on Wednesday night.

Scranton Halts Marywood’s Winning Streak at Four

Women's Basketball - 11/30/2011 8:12:00 PM

Box Score

Scranton, PA – The University of Scranton used a 10-2 run late in the second half and converted seven of eight free throws down the stretch to notch an 82-75 victory over Marywood University in non-conference women's basketball action on Wednesday night.  The Royals, who got a game-high 31 points from Alison Sweeney, improve to 2-3 on the season while the Pacers, who placed four player in double-figures, had their winning streak snapped at four games and fell to 4-2 on the year. 
 
Scranton took a 3-0 lead just 20 seconds into Wednesday night's game on an Alison Sweeney three-pointer, but after a Marielle Thorsen field goal, Ashley Murray drained a trey of her own to give Marywood an early 5-3 advantage.  The lead was short-lived however as the Royals responded with a 12-2 lead to hold a 17-7 lead with 13:03 to play in the first half capped by an Erin Boggan jumper.   
 
A 9-0 run by the Pacers, including six points from Murray, brought the visitors back within a point at 17-16 with 11:19 to play in the half, but Scranton maintained the lead and stretched it to as many as six points.  Back-to-back buckets by Alysa Mayo and Thorsen cut the host's lead to 31-29 with 2:07 showing on the first period clock, but Boggan rattled off four-straight points to restore the Royals' six point advantage.  After Carly Leitzel hit the front end of a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left, Sweeney hit a long-range shot to give Scranton a 38-30 cushion at halftime.
 
Sweeney's 16 first half points led all player as the Royals shot 48 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play and went five of nine from downtown.  The Pacers were led by Murray's 11 points.  Marywood shot 38 percent from the floor in the opening stanza and shot 3-8 from beyond the arc.
 
The Pacers chipped away at Scranton's lead early in the second half and tied the score at 45-45 on a Morgann Haduck three-pointer with 14:59 to play.  The Royals again regained the lead and extended it to as far as six, but Marywood drew level and forged their first lead of the game at 54-53 with 11:40 to play on a pair of Thorsen free throws.  A bucket by Maggie Presnal that put Marywood up ahead by three before Christian Hiltunen eventually put Scranton back in front at 58-56 at the 9:25 mark on a three-pointer.
 
A pair of made free throws by Allison Bruet knotted the score at 58-58 before Sweeney struck again from long-range, this time hitting a trey to give the Royals a 61-58 advantage with 9:05 to play.  The Pacers hung tough through, and forged yet another tied score at 65-apiece on a basket by Leitzel with 6:46 to play, but Scranton responded with a decisive, 10-2 run that included four points from Boggan and a Sweeney trey to put the hosts up 75-67 with 3:43 remaining.  The Royals would hit seven of eight free throws down the stretch to hold on for the 82-75 victory as the Pacers were unable to come any closer than within five points in the end.
 
Sweeney's game-high 31 points came on a 10-17 shooting night including six three-pointers on nine attempts and a 5-6 effort from the charity stripe.  Boggan added a double-double on 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds while Lindsay Fluehr led the Royals with 11 assists.  Scranton connected on 49.1 percent of their field goal attempts including 11-19 from beyond the arc and 65.5 percent of their free throws.
 
Thorsen led Marywood with 17 points while Murray and Mariah Schaeffer finished with 12 points apiece.  Haduck was the fourth Pacer in double-figures as the freshman tallied 10 on the night as Marywood shot 41.3 percent from the floor for the game, 35.3 percent from three-point range, and 60.7 percent from the free throw line.  Bruet dished out a team-best five assists and led all players with four steals while Presnal led the Pacers with eight rebounds.
 
Marywood will look to start a new winning streak on Saturday when they host CSAC North foe Cedar Crest College at 1:00 p.m. in the Insalaco Arena.
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