Scranton, which entered the game ranked No. 6 in the country in the latest USA Today/ESPN Division III Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, improved to 11-1 on the season with its 10th straight win. The Royals have won all five Diversified Invitational tournaments.
Senior guard Taryn Mellody (Dunmore, Pa.) was named the tournament most valuable player for the third year in a row after leading Scranton with 15 points in the championship game. Senior forward Casey Thran (Dalton, Pa.) added 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the floor. She was 2-for-2 from downtown in the game.
Freshman guard/forward Sarah Gehring (Spokane, Wash.) collected eight points and four rebounds for the Ducks (9-3). Gehring was 2-for-4 from three-point range. Junior guard/forward Kelsea Wilks (El Sobrante, Calif.) chipped in with six points off the bench.
Stevens was able to hang around with Scranton during the early portion of the game as the Ducks only trailed by one point (11-10) with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first half. The Royals put together a 12-3 run over a six-minute stretch to grab a 23-13 lead with 4:44 left in the period. Scranton, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the preseason coaches’ poll, led 29-21 at halftime.
The Ducks went ice cold from the field in the second half and only scored four points over the first 10 minutes. The Royals put the game away thanks to a 15-4 run as they grabbed a 44-25 advantage with 10:12 remaining.
Stevens shot 20.0 percent (11-for-55) from the field in the game. Scranton converted 19 of 50 (38.0 percent) field goals overall.
The Ducks will be back in action on Monday when they take on Centenary College at 8 p.m. That game will be played at Hackettstown High School in Hackettstown, N.J.