Senior guards Taryn Mellody (Dunmore, Pa./Bishop O’Hara) and Allison Matt (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) tossed in 15 points apiece as the Lady Royals shot nearly 58 percent from the field in the second-half to break away from a seven-point halftime lead. The win improves Scranton to 17-2 overall and 8-0 in the Freedom Conference, while the loss drops Drew to 8-10 overall and 3-5 in league play.
Senior guard Courtney Cunningham (Garden City, N.Y./Our Lady of Mercy) led the Rangers with 16 points and six assists and senior guard Melissa Kraft (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph Hill) added 13 points, two assists and three steals.
The Lady Royals took advantage of Williams’ decided height advantage by establishing her down low early and often in the first-half. Williams made 6 of 7 shots from the field en route to 13 first-half points, but it was the play of freshman guard Ryan Mooney (Spring City, Pa./Pius X) during the closing moments of the first-half and the opening minutes of the second-half that broke the game open.
In the final seconds of the first-half, Mooney made a steal off an in-bound pass and fed junior forward Michelle Fabio (Brick, N.J./St. Rose) for a lay-up as Scranton took a 30-23 lead into the locker room at halftime. In the first three minutes of the second-half, Mooney had an assist on a jump shot by senior forward Tammy Waiters (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) and then drilled a 3-pointer to spark a 9-0 rally as the Scranton extended its lead to 14, 37-23, with 17:32 left. The closest the Rangers would get the rest of the way was 13 points.
Williams tied her previous career-high of 19 points in an 85-60 victory over Delaware Valley College on January 25, 2006, at the Long Center.
The Lady Royals will return to action this Wednesday, January 31, against the Lady Monarchs of King’s College in Freedom Conference action beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the Long Center.
DREW (8-10/3-5 Freedom) Courtney Cunningham 5-18 5-6 16; Melissa Kraft 5-17 0-0 13; Allison Hartnett 3-9 4-5 11; JaQuelia Conley 2-4 0-0 5; Maggie Marquis 1-4 1-2 3; Genie Valantassis 1-2 0-0 2; Laura Methvin 1-2 0-0 2; Caitlin Blake 0-0 0-0 0; Cailin McGrorry 0-0 0-0 0; Jessica Delvecchio 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-57 10-13 52. THE UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON (17-2/8-0 Freedom) Williams, Tiffaney 9-11 1-2 19; Matt, Allison 5-7 4-5 15; Mellody, Taryn 5-12 5-8 15; Remington, Stephanie 2-5 2-2 7; Fabio, Michelle 2-4 2-2 6; Brophy, Julie 1-3 2-3 5; Mooney, Ryan 1-4 0-0 3; Waiters, Tammy 1-3 0-0 2; Daly, Kathleen 0-2 2-4 2; Thran, Casey 1-2 0-0 2; Healy, Marisa 0-0 0-0 0; Davis, Claire 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-54 18-26 76. Drew.......................... 23 29 - 52 The University of Scranton.... 30 46 - 76 3-point goals-Drew 6-18 (Melissa Kraft 3-9; JaQuelia Conley 1-1; Allison Hartnett 1-3; Courtney Cunningham 1-4; Genie Valantassis 0-1), The University of Scranton 4-14 (Brophy, Julie 1-2; Matt, Allison 1-1; Remington, Stephanie 1-4; Mooney, Ryan 1-2; Davis, Claire 0-1; Mellody, Taryn 0-4). Fouled out--Drew-None, The University of Scranton-None. Rebounds-Drew 31 (Courtney Cunningham 5; Maggie Marquis 5), The University of Scranton 38 (Fabio, Michelle 6; Williams, Tiffaney 6). Assists-Drew 13 (Courtney Cunningham 6), The University of Scranton 21 (Waiters, Tammy 5).Total fouls-Drew 16, The University of Scranton 13. A-400