The win was the 13th straight for the Lady Royals, who improved to 14-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play. Wilkes saw their overall record fall to 5-10 and their conference mark slip to 1-4 with the loss.
Scranton, behind six points from senior guard Taryn Mellody (Dunmore, Pa./Bishop O’Hara) and four from senior center Tiffaney Williams (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the opening 5:09 of the first stanza.
Wilkes responded behind the play of junior guard Randi Corbo (Englewood, N.J./Paramus Catholic), who knocked down a three-pointer and converted a steal into a lay-up to make it a 12-5 game. At the 12:47 mark, Corbo cashed in one-of-two free throws to pull the Lady Colonels within six, 12-6.
Scranton put together a decisive 23-2 run to close out the half and take control for good. Senior forward Casey Thran (Dalton, Pa./Abington Heights) started the run with a 17-footer to make it 14-6. Junior forward Michelle Fabio (Brick, N.J./St. Rose) would tack on consecutive field goals and Mellody knocked down a 3-pointer to extend the gap to 21-6 with eight minutes showing on the clock. A free throw and field goal by Williams made it 24-6 with 6:46 remaining, before Wilkes got their final points of the half on a bucket inside by junior forward Karyn Perestam (Binghamton, N.Y./Binghamton) to cut the lead to 24-8.
The Lady Royals scored the final 11 points to head into halftime with a 35-8 lead. A field goal by freshman guard Ryan Mooney (Spring City, Pa./Piux X), a pair of free throws by senior guard Allison Matt (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic), and one charity toss by Williams gave the Lady Royals a 29-8 lead. Thran cashed in back-to-back field goals and junior guard Julie Brophy (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) scored on a lay-up to give Scranton the 27-point lead by intermission.
Scranton continued to add to its lead by opening the second half with a 13-2 spurt. Mellody scored the first six points during the run to push the lead to 41-8 before Lady Colonel junior forward Lacey Andresen (Deposit, N.Y./Deposit Central) scored on an offensive rebound to make it 41-10. Williams then scored four straight points and Mellody converted a 3-pointer to give Scranton a 48-10 cushion with 15:57 left.
Despite shooting only 32.9 percent from the floor after hitting 25-of-76 field goal attempts, Scranton was able to keep Wilkes at a distance thanks to a smothering defensive effort. The Lady Royals held the Lady Colonels to just 17.9 percent shooting from the field as Wilkes converted only 10-of-56 field goal tries in the game.
Mellody led all scorers with 21 points, including a 4-for-6 effort from 3-point range, while Williams finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, her second ‘double-double’ of the season and the fourth of her career. Thran came off the bench to score 10 points for Scranton.
Corbo was the lone Wilkes player to reach twin digits, ending the night with 10 points and five rebounds. Perestam pulled down a team-leading 11 rebounds, while also tossing in six points.
The Lady Royals will close out a two-game Freedom Conference home stand this Saturday, January 20, against DeSales University beginning at 1:00 p.m. at the Long Center. Both teams ended play Wednesday evening tied for first-place in the conference.
WILKES (5-10/1-4 Freedom) Randi Corbo 4-16 1-2 10; Karyn Perestam 3-13 0-0 6; Lacey Andresen 1-5 0-0 2; Emilee Strubeck 1-2 0-0 2; Khadija Bates 1-1 0-0 2; Katie Cappelloni 0-6 1-4 1; Raquel Schubert 0-0 0-0 0; Kelly Patchell 0-2 0-0 0; Ashley Makarczyk 0-5 0-0 0; Chelsey Gosse 0-3 0-0 0; Nicole Quick 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 10-56 2-6 23. THE UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON (14-1/5-0 Freedom) Mellody, Taryn 6-12 5-6 21; Williams, Tiffaney 5-10 2-6 12; Thran, Casey 5-11 0-0 10; Fabio, Michelle 4-6 0-0 8; Matt, Allison 1-10 2-2 4; Daly, Kathleen 1-3 0-0 2; Mooney, Ryan 1-3 0-0 2; Brophy, Julie 1-9 0-0 2; Waiters, Tammy 1-10 0-0 2; Davis, Claire 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-76 9-14 63. Wilkes........................ 8 15 - 23 The University of Scranton.... 35 28 - 63 3-point goals-Wilkes 1-15 (Randi Corbo 1-4; Lacey Andresen 0-2; Katie Cappelloni 0-3; Ashley Makarczyk 0-5; Nicole Quick 0-1), The University of Scranton 4-11 (Mellody, Taryn 4-6; Matt, Allison 0-1; Brophy, Julie 0-2; Davis, Claire 0-2). Fouled out--Wilkes-None, The University of Scranton-None. Rebounds-Wilkes 47 (Karyn Perestam 11), The University of Scranton 54 (Williams, Tiffaney 12). Assists-Wilkes 3 (Randi Corbo 1; Ashley Makarczyk 1; Karyn Perestam 1), The University of Scranton 25 (Mooney, Ryan 6). Total fouls-Wilkes 9, The University of Scranton 10. A-400