Scranton Gets Landmark Win Behind Bicknell
SCRANTON, Pa. - The University of Scranton found itself in a must-win situation in the first of a two-game Landmark Conference home stand against Goucher College Friday evening at the Long Center.
The Royals, the pre-season favorite in the newly-formed conference, entered Friday's game winless in league play and was forced to play its second straight game without senior point-guard Randy Arnold (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) in the lineup.
Senior center Tom Bicknell (Melbourne, Australia/St. Bede's College) stepped up by scoring 21 points and pulling down 14 rebounds and freshman guard Zach Ashworth (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) added 16 points as Scranton held on for a 72-60 victory. The Royals shot nearly 55 percent from the field in the second-half to offset a disappointing 12-for-22 second-half effort from the free throw line to improve to 9-6 overall and 1-3 in the Landmark Conference.
Freshman forward Marcus Cotton (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) led the Gophers, now 4-10 overall and 2-2 in conference play, with 17 points and junior forward Amir Hakim (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore City College) came off the bench to finish with 11 points and five rebounds.
Senior guard Ryan Kirk (Lansdale, Pa./LaSalle College) more than made up for Arnold's absence from the lineup. He finished with six points-all in the opening minutes of the first-half as the Royals built up an early 17-4 lead-and handed out a season-high nine assists. Scranton, which also received seven first-half points from Ashworth and six each from Biagioli and Bicknell to open up a 35-20 halftime lead, also received strong play off its bench from junior forwards Eli Londo (Hamlin, Pa./North Pocono) and Brendan Fuller (Alexandria, Va./Bishop Ireton).
Londo connected on 3 of 5 shots from the field to finish with six points and had two rebounds and an assist in 10 minutes of action, while Fuller connected on two 3-pointers, including one late in the second-half to put an end to a Goucher rally, for six points in 13 minutes.
Bicknell down low twice early in the second-half to help Scranton extend its lead to 17, 39-22, but the Gophers continued to chip away and cut the Royal lead to seven on two occasions, the last of which came with 5:15 remaining. Fuller answered with a 3-pointer less than 10 seconds later to keep Scranton's lead at double-digits. Goucher did manage to cut the lead to nine on two more occasions, but the Royals were able to salt it away by making six free throws in the final minute of play.
Bicknell's ‘double-double' in points and rebounds was his ninth of the season and the 26th of his career. His 21 points also tied his career-high. The Royals will host Catholic University tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 p.m. at the Long Center.