Susquehanna Downs Scranton To Sweep Landmark Weekend

SELINSGROVE, Pa. - Susquehanna University's senior forward Marcus Burke (Hyde Park, Mass./Brimmer and May) recorded a career-high 21 points to guide host Susquehanna past The University of Scranton, 85-74, in a Landmark Conference men's basketball game at Orlando W. Houts Gymnasium on Jan. 16.

Burke was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field and made five of nine attempts from the free-throw line. He also notched a game-high-tying two blocked shots, made two steals and pulled down seven rebounds.

Susquehanna (10-6, 3-2 Landmark) made the first basket of the game but trailed Scranton (8-8, 2-3 Landmark) for almost the entire first half. The Royals held a 41-30 advantage with 3 minutes, 23 seconds left in the half, but the Crusaders used a 9-0 run to go into halftime down only 41-39.

SU's sophomore guard Spenser Spencer (Seattle, Wash./Lakeside) tallied a team-high-tying 21 points and two steals. Spencer shot 8-for-12 from the field and made two of his three three-pointers during the 9-0 run.

Teammate and senior guard Bryan Majors (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) dished out a game-high six assists and added four points. Majors still sits one steal shy of the SU career record of 229, set by Lloyd "Tres" Wolf '93, who played from the 1990-91 season to 1993-94.

Crusaders freshman forward Harvey Pannell (Bloomfield, Conn./St. Thomas More) pulled down a game-high 10 boards and scored 12 points, while junior guard Rob Estep (York, Pa./West York) notched 14 points and five rebounds.

Scranton pushed its lead to 48-43 just 1:54 into the second half, but Susquehanna answered with a Spencer three-pointer and a layup from freshman forward J.T. Wilson (Sparta, N.J./Pope John XXIII Regional) to even the score at 48.

After ties at 50 and 52, SU used a 24-7 run over the next 8:02 span to swell the lead to 76-59. Scranton responded with its own 11-0 run to cut the score to 76-70 with 3:47 remaining, but that was the closest the Royals could get.

Scranton junior guard Zach Ashworth (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks South) led all players with 28 points and eclipsed 1,000 points for his career. Ashworth was a game-high 12-for-12 from the free-throw line.

Teammate and freshman guard Travis Farrell [Middletown, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy (N.Y.)] recorded a team-high-tying five rebounds and handed out a team-high four assists, while sophomore forward Matt Swaback (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) also had five boards. Senior forward Eli Londo (Hamlin, Pa./North Pocono) notched two blocks, and junior guard Luke Hawk (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) had two steals.

Susquehanna shot 52.7 percent from the field (29-for-55) and made 23 of its 36 free-throw attempts. Scranton, meanwhile, was nearly perfect from the line, making 21 out of 23 shots.

Story provided by Susquehanna Sports Information