Junior guard Taryn Mellody (Dunmore, Pa./Bishop O’Hara) scored 15 of her game-high 19 points in the first-half as The University of Scranton bolted out to a 46-23 halftime lead en route to a 87-45 victory over Kean University in non-conference action at the John J. Long, S.J., Center Saturday evening.
Junior guard Allison Matt (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) had 14 points and junior forward Tammy Waiters (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) came off the bench to contribute 12 points and five rebounds in 14 minutes of action as the 6th-ranked Lady Royals won their 10th straight game to improve to 12-1. Junior forward Chi Clark (Maplewood, N.J./Columbia) led Kean, now 10-3, with 13 points and junior guard Francine Bell (Orange, N.J./West Side) and freshman guard Ebony Jackson (Newark, N.J./Malcom X Shabazz) contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively.
With the game tied for the fourth time in the first-half at 8-8 with 14:59 remaining, the Lady Royals, behind nine points by Mellody, went on a 22-0 run to take a 30-8 lead with 7:31 left. Sophomore guard Julie Brophy (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) came off the bench to join Matt with seven first-half points as Scranton shot 50 percent from the field. Bell scored 10 points in the first-half for Kean, which shot only 20.5 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Scranton’s lead was never seriously threatened in the second-half. Mellody’s 19 points moved her past Anne Gooley (1,025 points, 1989-1993) for 20th-place on the Lady Royals’ all-time scoring list. Mellody now has 1039 points in her career. Williams’ 12-point performance eclipsed her previous season-high of six points against RPI on December 9, 2005.
The Lady Royals also extended their home winning streak to 37 games at the Long Center.
Scranton will take on Wilkes University in Freedom Conference action this Wednesday, January 11, at the Marts Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
KEAN UNIVERSITY (10-3) Chi Clark 6-10 1-2 13; Francine Bell 4-12 3-6 12; Ebony Jackson 3-7 4-6 10;Marvella Nelson 1-3 0-0 2; Melissa Beyruti 1-11 0-0 2; Allison Summerset 0-2 2-4 2; Chari' Cooper 0-5 2-2 2; Sarah Kozlowski 1-2 0-0 2; Brittany Cleveland 0-2 0-0 0; Nina Oshiokpekhai 0-2 0-0 0; Shirley Fernandez 0-3 0-0 0; Kimberly Smith 0-7 0-0 0; Geanna Bonavitacola 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 16-68 12-20 45. THE UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON (12-1) Taryn Mellody 6-11 6-6 19; Allison Matt 4-6 6-7 14; Tammy Waiters 6-7 0-0 12; Molly Klusek 3-4 2-5 8; Julie Brophy 3-7 0-0 7; Stephanie Remington 2-4 2-2 7; Tiffaney Williams 3-4 1-2 7; Michelle Fabio 2-2 2-2 6; Kelly Lewandowski 1-2 3-4 5; Casey Thran 0-6 1-2 1; Erin Quinn 0-4 1-2 1; Erin Healy 0-0 0-0 0; Kathleen Daly 0-0 0-0 0; Meredith Paggi 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-58 24-32 87. Kean University............... 23 22 - 45 The University of Scranton.... 46 41 - 87 3-point goals-Kean University 1-15 (Francine Bell 1-6; Marvella Nelson 0-1;Melissa Beyruti 0-6; Allison Summerset 0-1; Sarah Kozlowski 0-1), The University of Scranton 3-10 (Stephanie Remington 1-1; Julie Brophy 1-3; Taryn Mellody 1-4; Casey Thran 0-1; Allison Matt 0-1). Fouled out--Kean University-None, The University of Scranton-None. Rebounds-Kean University 40 (Chari' Cooper 9), The University of Scranton 43 (Michelle Fabio 7). Assists-Kean University 8 (Ebony Jackson 2; Francine Bell 2), The University of Scranton 19 (Casey Thran 4). Total fouls-Kean University 22, The University of Scranton 19. A-450