Scranton Lady Royals Win

Senior guard Taryn Mellody (Dunmore, Pa./Bishop O’Hara) took matters into her own hands in The University of Scranton’s 58-52 victory over Hamilton College in an NCAA second round game Saturday evening at the John J. Long, S.J., Center. Mellody scored 19 of the Lady Royals’ 27 second-half points and finished with a game-high 29 as Scranton won its 12th straight game to improve to 27-2. With the win, the Lady Royals advance to the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year and for the seventh time since 1999. Hamilton College, which overcame a 12-point halftime deficit and tied the game late in the second-half, was led by junior guard/forward Pumla Sathula (Soweto, South Africa/St. Anne’s-Belford School-Va.) with 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds and sophomore center Sydney Fasulo (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Country Day) added 14 points and eight rebounds. The Continentals finished the season with a 20-8 record. Senior guard Allison Matt (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) chipped in 14 points, including five during a 13-3 run early in the first-half, as the Lady Royals broke away from a 9-8 lead to hold a 22-11 advantage with 6:19 left. Mellody finished with 10 points and Matt eight as Scranton extended its lead to 31-19 by halftime. Sathula, who drew six different Scranton defenders after scorching Mount Saint Mary College the previous evening with 29 points and 16 rebounds, kept the Continentals within striking distance with nine points and five rebounds. Hamilton College struggled with its shooting, however, and connected on only 7 of 28 field goal attempts (25.0 percent). The Lady Royals’ halftime lead evaporated quickly. Continental sophomore guard Molly Kane (Sherrill N.Y./Veron-Verona-Sherrill) hit a 3-pointer and canned two free throws, junior guard Jessica Barrows (Old Saybrook, Conn./Old Saybrook) added a 3-pointer and Sathula scored on a lay-up as Hamilton scored the first 10 points of the second-half to cut the lead to two, 31-29. Mellody then scored 17 of Scranton’s next 19 points as the Lady Royals scratched out a six-point lead, 50-44, with 6:03 left. Sathula followed with a jump shot and Fasulo buried back-to-back jump shots in the lane to tie the game at 50 with 4:27 remaining. Matt then came up with a steal and scored on a lay-up off an assist from junior guard Julie Brophy (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) to give Scranton the lead for good, 52-50, with 3:52 remaining. Lady Royal junior forward Kathleen Daly (Bryn Mawr, Pa./Merion Mercy Academy) came up with an offensive rebound, was fouled, and made two free throws to extend the lead to four, 54-50, before Sathula made it a two-point game by canning two free throws with 2:29 remaining. Hamilton College missed a pair of lay-ups in the final two minutes and had another opportunity to tie or take the lead after Scranton junior forward Michelle Fabio (Brick, N.J./St. Rose) missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity with 43 seconds remaining. After Sathula missed a lay-up on Hamilton’s next possession, Matt hit two free throws with 24 seconds remaining to make it a two-possession game. Mellody then closed out the scoring with two free throws with five second left. Mellody and veteran Scranton head coach Mike Strong reached personal milestones into tonight’s contest. Mellody became only the second player in Lady Royals’ history to score more than 1900 points in a career (1,913), while Strong coached the 800th game of his 27-year career. Strong is now 666-134 (.833). The Lady Royals will take on Mary Washington, a 77-61 winner over Christopher Newport, next Friday, March 9, in the sectional semifinals at a site to be determined Monday.