Royals Snap Skid With Thrilling Win
READING, Pa. - Freshman guard Zach Ashworth (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) capped off a season-high tying 20-point performance by scoring a lay-up with 1.9 seconds remaining in overtime to lift The University of Scranton to a 72-70 victory over Albright College in non-conference action Tuesday at the Bollman Center.
Ashworth, making his first career start in place of injured senior point-guard Randy Arnold (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West), scored 10 of his 20 points in the overtime period as the Royals snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 8-6. Scranton, which overcame an 11-point deficit with 12:12 remaining, also received 15 points and a game-high 18 rebounds from senior center Tom Bicknell (Melbourne, Australia/St. Bede's College), and a season-high 15 points from senior guard Ryan Kirk (Lansdale, Pa./LaSalle College).
Albright, which had a five-game winning streak snapped in falling to 10-3, was led by senior forward Albert Medoro (Exton, Pa./West Chester Henderson) with 17 points and 11 rebounds and senior center Kyle Brudvig (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) came off the bench to contribute 13 points and seven rebounds. The Lions let a golden opportunity to continue their winning streak fall by the wayside by connecting on just 9 of 24 free throw attempts (37.5 percent).
In a game that featured eight ties and 15 lead changes, the Lions had an opportunity to win the game in regulation. Leading 56-55 with the shot clock winding down in the closing seconds, Lion senior forward Tom Murphy had his shot blocked by Scranton junior forward Paul Hawk (Audubon, Pa./Methacton), who finished with five points, 12 rebounds, two assists, four blocks and three steals before fouling out in the overtime period. Hawk was able to deflect the ball towards Kirk, who scored on a lay-up with 17 seconds remaining to give the Royals a 57-56 lead.
On Albright's final possession, sophomore guard Andre Murphy (Philadelphia, Pa./Engineering & Science) drew a foul against Scranton junior forward Paul Biagioli (Waverly, Pa./Abington Heights) and was awarded two free throws with 3.1 seconds left. He made the first, but missed the second to tie the score at 57 at the end of regulation.
In an overtime period that featured seven lead changes and two ties, it was Ashworth who took over with the game on the line. He converted a traditional 3-point play with 1:16 left to tie it at 67, then buried four straight throws around a Lion turnover to give Scranton a 69-65 lead with 23 seconds remaining. Andre Murphy then connected on a 3-pointer to cut the gap to one before Ashworth made one of two free throws to make it a 2-point Scranton lead with 13 seconds left.
Murphy tied it up with a lay-up with four seconds remaining before Ashworth took a pass from Biagioli and hit a driving lay-up for the game-winner.
Ashworth tied his previous-high of 20 points in Scranton's 96-85 loss to Moravian College on December 1 at the Long Center. Bicknell's ‘double-double' in points and rebounds was his eighth of the season and the 25th of his career. Arnold, who suffered a shoulder injury in a win over Lancaster Bible on January 5, missed the first game of his career and had a 94-game consecutive starting streak snapped.
The Royals will return to Landmark Conference action this weekend, hosting Goucher College on Friday, January 18, at 7:30 p.m. and Catholic University on Saturday, January 16, at 2:00 p.m. Both games will be played at the Long Center.