Box Score

RADNOR, Pa. – The Cabrini women's basketball team captured its first ever win over the University of Scranton tonight, as the Cavaliers scored a 61-57 win over the Lady Royals at Nerney Field House.  The victory improves the Blue and White to 4-1 on the season and snaps a 10 game losing streak to Scranton.

The win is the first for Cabrini head coach Kate Pearson over her alma mater and former coach J. Michael Strong in five meetings.  Pearson starred at Scranton from 2000-04, during which she was twice named a Kodak All-American and earned three All-MAC First Team honors.  

Junior Amber Keys led four Cavaliers in double figures with 16 points and seven rebounds off the bench.  Senior Brittany Sandone added 14 points and seven boards.  Senior Annie Rivituso and junior Megan Decker tallied 10 points each in the win.

The opening 20 minutes marked a tightly contest.  The Cavaliers built their largest lead of the half just four minutes into the action, when Decker's lay-up putthe Blue and White up 10-5. Less than two minutes later, the Lady Royals had fought back to regain an 11-10 advantage.  

With 3:35 left in the half, a Keys free throw tied the score at 24 before Scranton regained a late lead.   A baseline jumper just before the halftime buzzer by sophomore Dana Peterson gave Cabrini a little momentum as it went to the locker room down 33-30.

The lead changed hands four times in the opening minutes of the second half, but when Rivituso found Sandone for a lay-up with 14:23 to play, the Blue and White took the lead for good.  Back to back three pointers from sophomore Kristina Startare and Sandone put the Cavaliers up 45-38 with 12 minutes on the clock.

Each time it looked as though the Lady Royals were poised to make a comeback, Cabrini had an answer.  A pair of Keys lay-ups kept the advantage at eight as the clock wound down, but it was Rivituso's three pointer with 3:50 to play that extended the lead to 59-48.

Scranton wasn't done, as it used a 9-0 run to cut its deficit back to 59-57 before Sandone iced the game with a pair of free throws with 12 seconds to play.

Junior Meredith Mesaris led the Lady Royals (2-2) with 21 points an d10 rebounds, while fellow junior Lindsay Fluehr added 11 points, nine rebounds and three steals.

The Cavaliers will return to action on Monday as they open Colonial States Athletic Conference play with a visit from the Gwynedd Mercy University Griffins (1-3) in a rematch of last season's CSAC championship game.  Tip is slated for 6:00 p.m. in Nerney Field house, as the opening half of a women's and men's doubleheader.