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By MATTHEW CROSS mcross@leader.net
Thursday, January 27, 2000 Page: 1B
SCRANTON – The Allentown men took a huge advantage in rebounds and held
the University of Scranton to just 26.7 percent from field goal range to earn
a 76-58 win at the John Long Center on Wednesday.
Scranton’s problems began in the first half when it couldn’t handle
Allentown’s tight defense along the three-point arc and failed to execute in
the offensive zone. With 4:19 left in the half, the Centaurs took a 37-11
lead.
The Royals made 8 of 30 shots in the first half, including 1 of 7 from
three-point range. They were also outrebounded 22-12 in that time.
This from a team that had won seven consecutive games before losing a close
one to Susquehanna on Monday, the same team that knocked off King’s College
last weekend.
“We had been playing so well,” said Scranton coach Bob Bessoir. “But
then we hit the January thaw. I was surprised we came out so flat.
(Allentown’s) backs were to the wall, and they came out ready to play and we
did not.”
But the Royals started to comeback late in the first half and early in the
second. Just six minutes after the break, Scranton closed to within 11, but
Allentown used its size to keep the Royals from getting any closer.
The Centaurs had a huge strength advantage underneath the basket and used
quickness to get more open shots. For most of the first half, they used a big
front line and pounded the ball down low.
“When you play a strong, physical team, you can’t let yourself get pushed
around,” Bessoir said. “You’ve got to use your quickness, but they nullified
that. We came out in the second half and played hard, but (their) lead was
just too much to overcome.”
Maybe most disturbing for Bessoir is that Wilkes lost by 10 points to
Delaware Valley on Wednesday, which means Scranton also lost a chance to take
first place in the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom League. He said
Saturday’s game at the Marts Center is a must win for the Royals.
“We wanted to go into that game on a high, and now we’re going in on a
low,” Bessoir said. “It’s going to be hell on the floor Saturday night, I’ll
tell you that.”
Call Cross at 829-7127