SCRANTON, Pa. --- The Moravian College men's basketball team dropped its final Landmark Conference road game of the 2013-14 season with a 67-61 loss at The University of Scranton Wednesday evening.
The Royals, who have already clinched the top seed in the Landmark Conference Tournament beginning next Wednesday, held the Greyhounds scoreless over the last three minutes of the contest after Moravian senior guard Kenny Gula tied the game at 61-61 with a pair of free throws.
"We had several chances to win the game," stated Head Coach Jim Walker. "The shots didn't fall for us tonight. There were a few in-and-out shots, so we were very close. It was one of those games where if one more bounce went our way, the outcome could have been different."
Gula was one of three Greyhounds in double figures with 10 points while senior center Blake English netted a game high 14 points with 10 in the first half to go along with five rebounds. Senior forward Cameron Cullen added 11 points and three rebounds while sophomore guard Matt Bosch added nine points and five boards.
Freshman forward Brandon McGuire contributed six points and a team high seven rebounds off of the Moravian bench while junior guard Izel Dickerson had eight points, five rebounds and four assists.
"Brandon did a nice job," Walker said. "He played tough defense and came up with some big rebounds. He showed focus at the free throw line and added a good bucket for us, too. Some of his rebounds led to big plays as we were getting close to tying the score."
Scranton had four players in double figures with Justin Klingman netting a game high 18 points.
Moravian started the game strong and had an early 5-3 lead after a pair of free throws from Bosch. The Greyhounds would push that advantage to six points, 10-4, on a lay-up by English. Trailing 12-6, the Royals put together a 12-2 run to take an 18-14 lead midway through the first half on a Klingman jumper.
The Hounds moved back in front, 25-23, on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Jarrod Dilts with 5:25 until the intermission before Scranton finished the half with a 15-6 run to head to the locker room with a 38-31 lead.
The Royals came out for the second half and pushed that lead to double digits, 43-33, on a jumper by Klingman just two and a half minutes into action. Moravian answered back with a 13-0 run, taking a 46-43 lead on a three-pointer from Dickerson and a lay-up from Gula to finish the run.
Scranton scored seven straight points to retake the lead, and the Royals led by as many as seven points, 57-50, before the Greyhounds cut the lead back. Gula's free throws with 3:03 on the clock to tie the game at 61-61 ended a 6-0 run for the Hounds but Moravian missed five shots and had a turnover in its final six possessions of the game.
The Greyhounds will close out the 2013-14 regular season on Saturday, February 22 when The Catholic University comes to Johnston Hall for a Landmark Conference game. Tip-off for the Senior Day game is slated for 2:00 p.m.
Moravian still has a chance to clinch the fourth and final berth in the Landmark Conference Tournament on Saturday. The Greyhounds will need to win and also have Scranton, Drew University and Susquehanna University to win their games, forcing a three-way tie with Moravian, Drew and The United States Merchant Marine Academy. The Hounds hold the tiebreaker having swept the season series from the Rangers and the Mariners.
"We didn't play a great game, but we played very well tonight," explained Walker. "If we play like that on Saturday with a playoff spot on the line, we'll be playing for a little more than just pride."
