BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College men's basketball team had its four-game winning streak snapped in the final game of a season-long four-game home stand as the Greyhounds fell to The University of Scranton, 69-61, in Landmark Conference action in Johnston Hall Wednesday evening.
The Hounds head into their second four-game road trip of the year with an overall record of 13-7 and a 6-3 mark in Landmark Conference play.
"I thought it was two good teams playing in the beginning of February, and coach Danzig does a great job with his team," stated Head Coach Justin Potts. "They executed better than we did tonight. The game was played more on their terms tonight in the half court. They did a really good job getting the ball into the paint, which is a strength for them. We were just never quite good enough defensively or offensively to generate the pace that we need. When the game is played in the half court, we struggle a little bit. Credit goes to them. We have to bounce back and find a way to play well on the road as we go down the stretch."
Moravian had three players in double figures led by sophomore guard Jimmy Murray, who netted a team-high 16 points. Senior forward Brandon McGuire had his ninth double-double of the season and the 27th of his career with 14 points and 10 rebounds while freshman guard C.J. Barnes added 11 points. McGuire increased his career totals to 1,185 points, 13th in school history, and 681 rebounds, seventh all-time.
Senior guard Sean Hanna contributed five points, four rebounds and a pair of assists while senior guard Isaiah Jennings, freshman forward John Hargraves and sophomore forward Jake McGee all had four points. Jennings added four assists and a pair of rebounds while McGee had five boards and Hargraves pulled down two rebounds. Junior guard Khalil Rhett had two points while sophomore guard Will Brazukas dished out three assists and sophomore forward Oneil Holder had one point.
McGuire gave Moravian a quick 2-0 lead before Scranton ran off seven straight points. Murray connected on back-to-back three-pointers to put the Greyhounds back in front, 8-7, and McGuire added a jumper for a 10-7 lead for the Blue and Grey four and a half minutes into the contest. Barnes pushed Moravian's edge to four points, 15-11, with a three-pointer before the Royals knotted the score at 15-15.
Hanna made a pair of free throws to give the Greyhounds a 20-17 lead with 9:35 left in the first quarter, and McGee hit two more free throws to tie the contest at 22-22 with 7:59 showing on the clock. Scranton hit a three-pointer on the next trip down the floor, and the Royals finished the first half with a 17-7 run to head to the locker room leading host Moravian, 39-29.
The Greyhounds started to cut into the Scranton lead early in the second half with a three-pointer by Murray pulling Moravian within seven points, 41-34, and a lay-up by Murray had the Blue and Grey trailing 45-44 with 14:45 still to play. The Hounds continued to press and would tie the game at 51-51 on a three-point play from Hargraves at the 10:56 mark.
Hanna hit two free throws to tie the game again at 53-53 before Scranton scored five straight points for a 58-53 lead. The Royals would not allow the Greyhounds any closer than four points the rest of the way while stretching the advantage to 10 points twice.
Moravian is scheduled to return to the court and begin a four-game road trip on Saturday, February 4 in a Landmark Conference game at Elizabethtown College beginning at 4:00 p.m.
