January 14, 2024
Moravian Tops Scranton at The Palestra for Second Straight Landmark Conference Victory
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. --- The Moravian University men’s basketball team posted a 76-56 victory in the final game of the Landmark Conference Day at The Palestra Sunday as the Greyhounds earned their second straight conference win.
Moravian University
7-8,3-5 Landmark
76
The University of Scranton
3-12,1-7 Landmark
56
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
33 | 43 | 76 |
|
|
29 | 27 | 56 |
Team Stats
Game Leaders
The University of Scranton
Pts:
Baratta,Luca
- 11
Reb:
Spatola,Jon
- 8
Ast:
Spatola,Jon
- 3
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | Moravian University | The University of Scranton |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (27-56) | (19-60) |
| Field Goal % | 48.2% | 31.7% |
| Rebounds | 42 | 31 |
| Assists | 16 | 10 |
| Turnovers | 11 | 9 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 12 | 11 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 9 | 12 |
| Pts in the Paint | 36 | 24 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 18 | 7 |
| Bench Pts | 12 | 18 |
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. --- The Moravian University men's basketball team posted a 76-56 victory in the final game of the Landmark Conference Day at The Palestra Sunday as the Greyhounds earned their second straight conference win.
How It Happened
- The Hounds opened the scoring with a pair of free throws by sophomore forward Marquis Ratcliff. The Royals would respond and go out to a 9-4 lead just about four minutes into the contest. Ratcliff tied the score at 9-9 with a three-pointer, and Ratcliff scored Moravian's first nine points. Junior guard/forward Michael Leonardo connected on a three-pointer to put the Blue & Grey back in front, and sophomore guard Porter Kelly hit a free throw at the 12:11 mark to cap a 13-0 run that had the Greyhounds' leading 17-9
- Moravian pushed the advantage to double digits at 21-11 on a lay-up from junior forward Gary Francis with just under ten minutes left in the first half. However, Scranton got back within a point at 25-24 three minutes later. The Blue & Grey extended the lead back to seven points at 33-26 on a lay-up from senior guard Mark Howell while the Royals scored the final three of the first half to send the squads to the locker room with the Hounds up 33-29
- Scranton opened the second half with a 5-0 run to take a 34-33 lead. Moravian moved back in front for good at the 17:28 mark on a three-point play from Ratcliff, which started a 39-7 run from the Greyhounds that has the Blue & Grey holding a 72-41 advantage with just over four minutes to play as senior guard Alex Dietz connected on a three-pointer
- Moravian's final points of the game came on a three-pointer by freshman Elijah Blackwell for the first points of his career
Inside the Numbers
- Moravian had a pair of double-doubles in the contest with Ratcliff netting a game-high 31 points to go with 14 rebounds and two blocked shots. It was Ratcliff's fourth 30-plus point contest of the season, and he also recorded his sixth double-double of the winter and 14th of his career
- Leonardo posted his second straight double-double and the fourth of his career with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go with six assists
- Kelly finished with nine points and three rebounds while Howell contributed eight points, six assists and three boards
- Dietz tossed in five points and grabbed five rebounds while Francis and senior forward Mike DiPietro both had four points with Francis adding three boards
- Blackwell registered three points while freshman forward Brendan Shannon had Moravian's other point on a free throw
- The Greyhounds had 18 players see the court at the historic Palestra, considered the Cathedral of College Basketball with three players seeing their first action of the season
- Moravian shot 27-for-56 from the field, 8-for-21 on three-pointers and 14-for-16 at the foul line with Ratcliff making all ten of his free throw attempts
- The Hounds had a 42-37 edge on the boards while the teams combined to commit just 20 turnovers in the game
Up Next for the Greyhounds
- Wednesday, January 17 vs. Wilkes University, 7:00 p.m.
- Saturday, January 20 vs. Susquehanna University, 2:00 p.m. – Alumni Game at 11:00 a.m.
