Basketball

University of Scranton 89, Delaware Valley 59

DOYLESTOWN (PA) - The University of Scranton, ranked second in Division III, won its 20th consecutive game and clinched the Freedom Conference regular-season title with an 89-59 victory over host Delaware Valley College.

The Lady Royals improved to 22-1 overall and 12-0 in conference play and will be the top seed in the conference playoffs when tournament action begins on Wednesday, February 22. The Aggies had their four-game winning streak snapped as they fell to 16-7, 8-4. Delaware Valley is now tied for second in the Freedom with DeSales, which upended Lycoming College 77-47 on Saturday. The Aggies and DeSales meet in Doylestown on Tuesday, February 14 (6:00 p.m.) in the next to last regular-season contest for both teams.

Delaware Valley trailed 20-9 midway through the first half, but scored six straight and nine of 11 to pull to within four, 22-18 with 7:02 remaining. Moira Donohue had seven of the nine points in the spurt.

It was still a four-point ballgame, 24-20, with 6:09 left in the half when the Lady Royals outscored the Aggies, 19-3, to take a 43-23 advantage into the intermission. Allison Matt scored 11 of her 18 first-half in the run, including the final seven points of the half.

Delaware Valley, which never got closer than 19 points in the second half, was without the services of point guard Shannon O'Neill (illness), who scored 31 points against Scranton earlier in the season. Donohue paced the squad with 17 points while also adding four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Juli McGowan chipped in 10 points while Kristin Bone and Rachel Joyce had eight apiece with Bone also adding a team-high six rebounds.

Matt was 9-for-11 from the field (2-for-3 from 3-point land) and finished with a game-high 20 points in just 20 minutes of action. All-American Taryn Mellody recorded 14 points and four boards while Julie Brophy had 10 points off the bench.