Shorthanded Gophers Fall on Road at No. 7 Scranton

SCRANTON, Pa. — Goucher knew going in that this afternoon's contest at Scranton would be a challenge. The Royals are currently ranked No. 7 in the nation by D3hoops.com, and injuries forced the Gophers to dress only seven players for the game.

Those obstacles proved to be too much for Goucher to overcome, as Scranton scored the first 13 points of the contest en route to a 69-42 victory.

Jaida Scarborough (Baltimore, Md./Digital Harbor) led the way with 15 points for the Gophers (4-9, 0-5 Landmark), who have dropped three straight since last Saturday's win at Roanoke.

Four different players scored for the Royals (14-1, 6-0 Landmark) in their opening 13-0 run. That lead grew to 29-6 after a 3-pointer from Noelle Alicea with 6:56 remaining, and it was 39-16, Scranton, heading into the intermission.

Goucher was much more competitive in the second half, as the Royals held only a slim 30-26 advantage in the final 20 minutes.

Scranton's Meredith Mesaris had 10 points in the first four minutes after halftime, and she finished with a game-high 16 points on 7 of 15 shooting. The Royals shot 45.2 percent from the field overall compared to 35.7 percent for the Gophers, and the defending Landmark champions have now won six straight games since their only defeat of the season, a 37-35 setback against Cabrini.

Scarborough's 15 points were a new season high. The sophomore guard has scored in double figures in three consecutive conference games. India Perkins (Brentwood, Md./Bladensburg) added eight points and six rebounds, while Olivia Nono (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair) grabbed a team-high eight boards.

Each teams struggled with turnovers, committing 17 giveaways apiece. Scranton held a commanding 45-30 advantage on the glass, led by 10 rebounds from Sarah Payonk.

Goucher faces another difficult opponent in its next contest on Wednesday, going up against a Moravian squad which finished as the Landmark runner-up in 2013-14. That tilt is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. from the Decker Sports & Recreation Center.